Hawaii Red Cross Opens Shelters on Maui, Molokai and Lanai

In partnership with Maui County, Hawaii Red Cross volunteers will be opening shelters on Maui, Molokai and Lanai in response to Flossie.

Maui County Civil Defense has released a list of available shelters that will be open at 9 a.m. The first three listed have been designated as *pet-friendly shelters*

• War Memorial Gymnasium
• Lahaina Civic Center
• Kamalii Elementary School
• Hannibal Tavares (Pukalani) Community Center
• Kamalii Elementary School
• Hana High School
• Lanai High School
• Molokai High School
• Kilohana Community Center

People must bring their own evacuation kits (to include non-perishable, ready to eat food) to the shelters as there will be no services provided. Shelters are meant to provide individuals and families a safe place to evacuate if directed to do so by officials or if your home is vulnerable to high winds or flooding. Per Maui County instructions (www.co.maui.hi.us), do not use the shelters if you have other options

The Red Cross encourages everyone to be prepared before disasters strike:  Get a disaster kit, make a plan and be informed.

Get a disaster kit.  Every family should have their own disaster kit.  As other emergency response organizations have reported, families are asked to bring their own disaster supplies kit to a shelter, if asked to evacuate. Have 7 days’ worth of supplies at home to shelter in place or in a compact portable container to take to a shelter. If you live or work within the Tsunami Evacuation Zone, have a 1-3 day Disaster Emergency Kit that you can grab and walk out of the inundation zone. Full details about what the kit should contain are available at www.redcross.org/hawaii (see Programs and Services/Disaster Preparedness).

• Water – 1 gallon per person per day
• Food – non-perishable easy-to-prepare
• Flashlight
• Radio -NOAA Weather Radio
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications & Medical items
• Manual Can opener
• Multi-purpose tool
• Personal hygiene items
• Copies of Documents (prescriptions, proof of address, deed/lease to home, insurance policies and proof of identity
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family Contact Information
• Cash
• Bedding
• Change of clothes
• Towels
• Dishes

You may also need:

• Baby supplies – bottles, baby food & diapers
• Games and activities
• Comfort items
• Pet supplies – collar, leash, ID, food, water, carrier, bowl & medications

All members of the household should work together on the family disaster plan.  A Family Disaster Plan Template is available on redcross.org that people can download and complete to make or update their plan. Planning together is important so everyone in the household knows what they should do if something occurs. The plan should include ways to contact and find one another in an emergency, including two places to meet – one near the home in case of a sudden emergency like a fire – and one outside the neighborhood in case circumstances prevent people from returning home.   Choose an out-of-area emergency contact person.  It may be easier to text or call long distance if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service.

Stay informed.  Listen to local media to keep updated on the status of Flossie. Know where your hurricane shelter is located; go to your local civil defense website to find out more info.  Do not automatically go there.  Locations and opening times will be shared by local media.

Download free Red Cross mobile apps which not only help people during emergencies like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires, but offer help creating emergency plans.  Red Cross has a shelter finder app, hurricane app, first aid app and more.  People can use the ‘Make a Plan’ feature in the apps to create their emergency plans and then share it with their loved ones.  The apps are free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Plan Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross

The Red Cross is a non-profit humanitarian organization which provides assistance to meet the immediate emergency needs of those affected by disasters. All Red Cross assistance to disaster victims is free. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it depends on public contributions to help others. Your gift supports the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in your community, across the country and around the world.  To send a contribution, mail your check to:  American Red Cross, Hawaii State Chapter, 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI  96816.  Make a secure online donation at www.redcross.org/hawaii or call:  (808) 739-8133

Submitted by Hawaii State Chapter, The American National Red Cross – www.redcross.org/hawaii

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