Program Summary
Disaster Profile
The state of Hawaii braced itself for widespread flooding as Hurricane Lane poured tremendous rainfall over the Big Island. Lane initially made landfall on August 23rd as a category 5 Hurricane, but was downgraded to a tropical storm by August 24th.
44 inches of rain poured over the lands at a rate of 5 inches per hour in some areas. Critical infrastructures were impacted by multiple landslides and debris, making roads extremely hazardous. The mountainous geology of the islands posed a great risk for additional landslides and mudslides to occur
Our Work
Our Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART), which included chainsaw, and muck & gut specialists, headed to affected areas to assess the needs of the communities. Our teams worked closely with the Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster (HIVOAD) and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency Voluntary Agency Liason (FEMA VAL), in order to effectively respond to Tropical Storm Lane.
While operating two field teams, we continued performing assessments across the island to identify areas of need.
Featured News
“Many thanks to our Hawaii-based volunteer alumni who have already reached out to offer support and live updates. We really appreciate it!”