More than $80,000 has been collected to help residents of Hawaii island’s storm-ravaged Puna district as the vast cleanup effort from Tropical Storm Iselle continues.
An assessment last week found that at least 225 homes had been damaged or destroyed, most of them in the Puna district.
"We’re just trying to reach everyone as quickly as possible," said Janice Bueltmann, community advancement and resource development director for Hawaii Island United Way, which is coordinating the major relief efforts in Puna. "We know rebuilding is going to take a long time and take a lot of finances. For now, the needs are changing day by day."
An estimated 1,500 Hawaiian Electric Light Co. customers remained without power on Monday. In a four-day period from Thursday to Sunday, some 1,419 Hawaii island residents visited disaster assistance and recovery centers organized by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the agency announced Monday.
Hawaii Island United Way and its sister organization, Aloha United Way, on Monday had collected more than $31,000 in online donations. They are urging people to continue to donate money rather than goods or supplies, which would have to be shipped to Hawaii island, transported to where they need to go and possibly require additional money to store.
The $28,000 already donated to Hawaii Island United Way and the $3,000 given to Aloha United Way are being used for immediate needs in Puna, such as buying baby wipes for elderly residents who don’t have water to bathe themselves and for ice packs for senior citizens’ medications, Bueltmann said.
An additional $25,000 donated by the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation and $25,000 from Bank of Hawaii — along with other large pledges that have yet to materialize — will be used for long-term rebuilding, Bueltmann said.
While United Way is discouraging nonmonetary donations, other groups such as the Hawaii island Food Basket food bank still want donations of toilet paper and food to keep up with the demand.
Since Iselle, the Food Basket has distributed more than 5,000 pounds of food to more than 3,000 families — twice the normal volume of food and clients, said floor supervisor Joann Abiley.
"We can always use saimin, canned soups — that’s always good," Abiley said.
Donations of clothes and food are "wonderful," said Norm Baker, chief operating officer for Aloha United Way. "They can donate directly to Helping Hands Hawaii or the Hawaii Foodbank and, if the Food Basket is short of something, the network of government and nonprofit organizations that are working together will send it over."
But Baker said, "As our attention shifts from disaster relief to helping the Big Island families rebuild their lives, we have learned that each of the families’ needs are so very different and unique that we need the flexibility provided by cash to adequately address their needs. The monies received will go further in truly helping these families get back on their feet."
While senior citizens had urgent needs in Leilani Estates, Bueltmann said that parents desperately needed baby food in nearby Nanawale.
And as untold numbers of neighborly volunteers continue to cut through fallen forests of albizia trees blocking roads and keeping power out, the need for chain saws also grows.
Requests poured in over the weekend for two-stroke oil and ethanol-free fuel for chain saws, Bueltmann said, and a local Lions Club organized a chain saw sharpening session.
An offer of donated chain saws made from a group in Alabama has not been accepted, she said, "because in the time it takes them to get to the Big Island, the need may not be there anymore."
Meanwhile, the Hawaii State Bar Association set up a free legal hotline for Puna residents affected by Iselle.
"I wish we could send ice makers and generators to our brothers and sisters on the Big Island, but that’s not practical. … As for the HSBA, we will provide the kind of assistance we know best, helping people solve legal problems like filing insurance claims and addressing renter and homeowner issues," bar association president Calvin E. Young said in a statement.
Puna residents with Iselle-related legal questions can call 888-609-5463 toll-free on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hawaiian Telcom also set up a phone bank for Hawaii island residents to make free calls at the Nanawale Community Center and set up free Wi-Fi access at the Pahoa Community Center for people with their own wireless devices. Hawaiian Telcom previously set up phones and free Wi-Fi access at the Hawaiian Shores Community Center.
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who represents Hawaii island, on Monday urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii County and President Barack Obama to "expedite the process of declaring Iselle’s devastation a natural disaster so that the people of Puna can receive immediate help."
Gabbard toured Puna on Friday and met with "residents who have lost everything," she said in a statement.
"And though they’ve shown strength, resiliency and compassion for their neighbors," Gabbard said, "many families in Puna are looking for federal assistance to start putting their lives back together after this overwhelming storm."
