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The Hawaii Red Cross is sending a volunteer to provide comfort to those affected by the deadly mass shooting at a school in
Florida: state Rep. Ryan
Yamane.
He is landing in Fort Lauderdale this afternoon and was expected to drive down to Parkland, where he will be a disaster mental health volunteer for seven days in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which left 17 dead.
“We’re trained to help anybody deal with the emotions of a situation like this,” Yamane, 48, said by phone Sunday.
The Red Cross said it is supporting a family assistance center in the area, and mental health and spiritual care volunteers are on hand to help.
Yamane, chairman of the House Water and Land Committee, is also a licensed social worker.
It’s not the first time he’s flown to the mainland to help victims of a mass shooting. Last fall he deployed to Las Vegas for two weeks after the concert shooting that killed 58 people.
His assignments in Las
Vegas ranged from providing support to victims in the hospital to talking with firefighters and their families.
He said he doesn’t know what his duties will be in Florida and said he will have to be flexible.
Yamane (D, Mililani-Waipio-Waikele) said he gains a sense of peace on his deployments, which give him an opportunity to focus solely on helping others in crisis.
He said volunteers from Hawaii bring the aloha spirit, and he hopes to show Hawaii can help when others are in need.
Despite returning recently from the Las Vegas massacre, Yamane said his wife and two sons, ages 13 and 9, encouraged him to travel to Florida because it was to aid other people.
“Being ready is being present for others,” he said. “I’m ready to do that.”
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