Off the News: How to send help to Tonga

Relief efforts in the aftermath of Tonga’s volcanic and tsunami disaster are still ramping up, amid various ad hoc GoFundMe and other fundraiser efforts.

But if you are looking now for a way to give via the Red Cross, donors can write a check specifying Tonga relief as the cause.

At redcross.org/donate/donation.html and on the bottom left, find “Donate by Mail” with a mailing address. Print and complete the form: under “I Want To Support,” check the “Other” box and list Tonga disaster relief on that blank.

Ala Wai flood control redux

Try, try again. It’s another reset for the Ala Wai flood control project, first launched two decades ago but stopped in its tracks in 2020. That was due to considerable opposition from upstream neighborhoods as well as a rising $650 million price tag that forced the project back to the drawing board.

Today, from noon to 1 p.m., there will be a virtual community forum on the Ala Wai Flood Risk Management General Reevaluation Study. Hosted by the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the session will provide an update on the study and unveil new communication tools.

To access the webinar, see usace1.webex.com/meet/AlaWai. For more information as this process unfolds, see www.honolulu.gov/AlaWai.