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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0099.011 2020-2022 Arn-er ic-,Fs;i-i Rear C�Oss April 30, 2021 Hawaii County Council County of Hawaii Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, H196720 Re: Recommendations for FY22 Grant Appropriations to Nonprofit Organizations Dear Council Members: The American Red Cross of Hawaii requests your support in appropriating the recommended $31,300 of FY2021-2022 County nonprofit grant funding to support our Disaster Preparedness& Response Program in the County of Hawaii. When devastating events occur, people in need turn to the American Red Cross for immediate relief, hope to overcome staggering losses, and support as they piece their lives back together. Since its founding,the Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization and is committed to helping people through the entire disaster cycle, which includes preparedness, response and recovery. Our mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Red Cross volunteers and employees respond at a moment's notice—when help can't wait—thanks to generous donations and dedicated volunteers. We are not a government agency and do not receive federal or state funding for disaster relief operations, which are provided to the public free of charge. The American Red Cross is mandated by the U.S. Congress to provide disaster relief assistance.This is an unfunded responsibility that stipulates the American Red Cross must provide emergency mass care and assistance for individuals with urgent and verified disaster-caused needs. In August 2015, the Red Cross signed an agreement with FEMA that renewed the Red Cross role as the co-lead for provision of mass care under the National Response Framework, along with the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA.As a co-lead, the Red Cross is responsible for fulfilling mass care responsibilities which include feeding, sheltering, distribution of Emergency Supplies, and family reunification. In addition, the agreement was expanded to ensure the partnership covered the entire disaster cycle— preparedness, response, and recovery. The primary goal of the Red Cross Disaster Preparedness& Response Program is to recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to be on call to provide immediate assistance to victims of natural and man- made disasters anytime, anywhere throughout the state. Our immediate and compassionate services reduce the harsh physical and emotional distress that prevents people from meeting their own basic needs and helps them get back on their feet after tragedy has struck. During FY19 (7/1/19–6/30/20), the Hawaii Red Cross delivered help, hope and healing to the people of Hawaii County: we responded to 23 disasters and assisted 62 survivors on the Big Island. We Comm' Ni 1 P.O.Box 11248*Hilo,Hl 96721 *Tel:808-935-8305 a Fax:808-969-3673 a wwwredcMaLgMjqLA� Ref. T0• _KtIVIIJ Ref. Date' Page 2 Red Cross FY22 Funding maintained a base of 274 disaster volunteers, of which 50 have taken specialized COVID-19 training allowing them to work in Hurricane Evacuation Shelters. In addition, several years ago, the Red Cross worked alongside our Hawaii County partners to meet the immediate emergency needs of people fleeing the Kilauea Volcano eruption.Three Red Cross shelters were opened for those seeking refuge from the lava threat, and these shelters were open non-stop with over 400 people anxiously awaiting their fate.Trained Red Cross nurses and mental health volunteers staffed shelters and provided nearly 7,500 health and mental health services to those in need. We distributed hundreds of blankets, sheets, pillows,futons, towels, masks,toiletry kits, and 41,952 snacks.Together with the County and Salvation Army, thousands of meals were served to all shelter residents. We also partnered with Catholic Charities to clean and replace Hawaii Island water catchment systems which had been contaminated by volcanic air pollution. Our records indicate that in FY20, at least 48%of the clients the American Red Cross of Hawaii served in the County of Hawaii during disaster response were also living in poverty. An Aloha United Way commissioned report entitled ALICE:A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaii confirmed the stark reality that there are many people in Hawaii who struggle every day to make ends meet. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.The ALICE population is comprised of people who have a job or multiple jobs yet can't afford the basic necessities to remain stable and self-sufficient. According to the 2019-20 report, approximately 48%of Hawaii County households were classified as struggling with ALICE challenges, or worse, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disasters directly threaten the homes of ALICE families since more affordable housing is often located in vulnerable areas (ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaii, 2020). All it takes is just one crisis to put this population at an even greater risk of long-term problems. Red Cross disaster relief provides a safety net for those who need it in the aftermath of a disaster. Following our principle of impartiality, all Red Cross disaster services are available free of charge to anyone in the state of Hawaii who falls victim to natural and man-made disasters. As studies demonstrate, being prepared - having the resources and plans in place to withstand disaster - is a key component to mitigating disaster risk and is essential to a community's ability to recover. Prepared communities fare better following disasters: more lives are saved, less money is required for recovery, and a community stabilizes more quickly when it is resilient (Disaster Resilience:A National Imperative, National Research Council, Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 2012). Every$1 invested in pre-disaster preparedness and mitigation activities saves$6 in post-disaster response and recovery expenses(The Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves:2017 Interim Report). The Pillowcase Project, Prepare with Pedro, Be Red Cross Ready, Ready Rating, and the Home Fire Campaign comprise the American Red Cross of Hawaii's community preparedness efforts.The Pillowcase Project encourages family preparedness and discussion about disaster risks. It helps children to feel safe by teaching them about disasters by using a creative and interactive approach. Prepare with Pedro is aimed at students in grades kindergarten through second grade, and it emphasizes home fire safety. Be Red Cross Ready provides COVID-19 prevention, home fire, and other local disaster preparedness information to the elderly, people with disabilities, caregivers, people with limited resources, and families. Ready Rating is a free and easy, web-based membership program that allows organizations to use one of two proprietary assessments to measure their current state of Page 3 Red Cross FY22 Funding preparedness.The Home Fire Campaign is a collective approach to strengthening our resilience in the face of this threat. Currently the smoke installation portion of this program is on hold during the pandemic, however we continue to offer "Homes Made Safer"virtually, which was the educational portion of the home visit. The Red Cross is able to take appropriate action at a moment's notice thanks to our readiness efforts and dedicated volunteers. It takes preparation, resources and infrastructure to be able to respond everyday throughout the year. Volunteers need to be recruited beforehand and trained, scheduled for on-call duty, and deployed at a moment's notice when there is a disaster. Maintaining a large volunteer workforce requires resources for recruitment, screening, training, and retention.To ensure quality and consistency of service,volunteers require supervision and coordination. Support from the County of Hawaii will provide the Red Cross with essential resources to help us galvanize,train, and support a robust disaster volunteer force. We deeply appreciate the County of Hawaii's help to fund our vital Disaster Preparedness & Response Program on Hawaii Island and ask for your continued support. Sincerely, Diane Peters-Nguyen Marty Moran Regional Chief Executive Officer Hawaii County Director