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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0095.004 2018-2020 pirc coi44.95,2 American Red Cross April 8, 2019 Hawaii County Council County of Hawaii a c Hawaii County Building c:)-(7) 25 Aupuni Street 'v Hilo, HI 96720 co ray-C Re: Recommendations for FY20 Grant Appropriations to Nonprofit Organizations . rrn Dear Council Members: ,.. • -- CD u".- The `_The American Red Cross of Hawaii requests your support in appropriating$50,000 of FY2019-2020 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. Red Cross volunteers and employees respond at a moment's notice—when help can't wait—thanks to generous donations and dedicated volunteers. Each year, the American Red Cross of Hawaii delivers help, hope and healing to people affected by disasters by transforming donors' generous funding into shelter, food and emotional support. 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. Although we are not a government agency, the Red Cross performs government-like functions. The American Red Cross of Hawaii is written into the Hawaii State Emergency Management Agency plans for notification, and is heavily relied upon to provide, manage, and operate shelters and conduct mass feedings during disasters, and assist in damage assessments following disasters. The Red Cross is also designated as the lead/primary organization by all counties to plan and execute disaster sheltering operations. The American Red Cross is mandated by 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 the mass care portion of Emergency Support Function 6 (ESF-6), to include feeding, sheltering, bulk distribution, and family reunification. In addition, the agreement was expanded to ensure the partnership covered the entire disaster cycle—preparedness, response and recovery. 455 Ululani Street ® Hilo,HI 96720 • Tel:808-935-8305• Fax:808-969-3673 • www.redcross.orq/hawaii CO Comm. No. 1,✓ Ref.To: P( FG Ref. Date APR 0 8 2019 # Page Two Red Cross FY20 Funding 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. A recent Aloha United Way commissioned report entitled ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaii—confirmed the stark reality 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 and many times multiple jobs, yet can't afford the basic necessities to remain stable and self-sufficient. 36%of Big Island households are ALICE, and another 19% live below the poverty level. That means 55%of Hawaii County's households are ALICE and below. All it takes is just one crisis, such as a home fire,to put this population at an even greater risk of long-term problems, such as loss of housing. Red Cross disaster relief provides a safety net for those who need it in the aftermath of a disaster. And Red Cross preparedness initiatives endeavor to prevent disasters, like home fires, from happening. It takes preparation, resources and infrastructure to be able to respond everyday throughout the year. The Red Cross is able to take appropriate action at a moment's notice thanks to our year-round readiness efforts and dedicated volunteers. Response is only the tip of the spear. 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. During FY18 (7/1/17—6/30/18), the Hawaii Red Cross delivered help, hope and healing to the people of Hawaii County: we responded to 23 incidents and assisted 910 individuals (812 of these individuals were helped because of the Kilauea lava eruption, which continues to be an ongoing relief effort) with their immediate emergency needs. Through community disaster education outreach, we shared critical disaster preparedness information with 2,759 individuals. Through the Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Campaign, we installed 176 smoke alarms and helped residents formulate their fire safety plan to prevent and prepare for the most common disaster—a home fire. Through the Pillowcase Project, we taught 547 children how to prepare for disasters,the science behind disasters, and coping techniques. We currently have a base of 255 active and trained disaster volunteers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2012 -2016, 15.4%of the County of Hawaii's population lived below the poverty level, and in FY18, at least 26% of the families we served on the County of Hawaii during disaster response were also living in poverty. This population is particularly vulnerable to disaster and is dependent on Red Cross services during these especially challenging events. The Red Cross serves as a safety net for victims of disaster who have nowhere else to turn. A prime example of this is the disaster relief and response effort after Hurricanes Lane & Olivia. When Hurricane Lane threatened the islands in late August, the Red Cross in partnership with County Emergency Management opened 38 shelters across the state housing 2,870 people. Due to the expectation of high winds, 188 staff also stayed in private shelters. A total of 42 cases were opened due to the damage from the storm. In addition,we distributed 850 disaster relief items, such as clean- Page Three Red Cross FY20 Funding up kits, tarps and comfort kits to help people with their recovery. We provided over 2,100 mental health and health services contacts and 17 contacts with clients with disabilities. Two weeks after Hurricane Lane, the islands were threatened again by Hurricane Olivia, which severely weakened as it approached the state. There were 15 Tropical Storm evacuation shelters opened in Parks & Recreation facilities in Hawaii, Maui and Honolulu counties providing safe shelter for 190 people. In addition, almost a year ago, the Kilauea Volcano eruption started. The Red Cross worked alongside our Hawaii County partners to meet the immediate emergency needs of evacuees. 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, as well as 41,952 snack. Together with the County and Salvation Army, thousands of meals were served to all shelter residents. 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). Sound the Alarm, the Pillowcase Project, and Prepare with Pedro are the focus of the American Red Cross of Hawaii's community preparedness efforts. The Sound the Alarm campaign helps at-risk families and neighborhoods to help those most vulnerable prepare for home fires by providing them with the information and tools they need. The Pillowcase Project encourages family preparedness and discussion about disaster risks. It helps children to feel safe by teaching them about disasters through a creative and interactive method, creating a pillowcase that doubles as a disaster kit. Prepare with Pedro is aimed at students in grades kindergarten through second grade, and it emphasizes home fire safety. Sound the Alarm is a collective approach to strengthening our resilience in the face of this threat. While no one is immune to home fires, several distinct demographic groups across the country have higher rates of vulnerability: • Elderly:Adults over the age of 65 face heightened risks from disasters of all types. Seniors are more than twice as likely to die in home fires as the average American. By 2030, Hawaii's senior population will rise from 15%to 23%. • Youth: Children are generally more vulnerable to disasters because of their level of physical, social and cognitive development. Additionally, children tend to rank hazardous events as one of their major fears, which can be intensified by the media's uneven coverage of the devastation caused by rare, high-impact events. Page Four Red Cross FY20 Funding • Low-income populations:There is a strong correlation between home fire deaths and poverty. This could be attributed to the fact that individuals living at or below the poverty line may find it cost prohibitive to purchase fire-safety products, like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. • Disabled populations: Physical disability is a contributing factor in 14% of all home fire deaths. Over half of all physically disabled fire victims nationwide were involved in accidental ignition and were in the room the fire originated. • Rural communities: A strong inverse correlation exists between community size and the risk of fire-related fatalities. Rural areas tend to suffer more damage from home fires because fires typically burn longer, both because of the greater distances emergency response teams must travel to respond and because of low population density, which often leads to a longer reporting time. For everyone's sake, we need a strong Red Cross, and we humbly ask for your support so we can prepare beforehand and respond immediately with humanitarian aid when needed. Sincerely, Coralie Matayoshi Marty Moran (J Regional Chief Executive Officer Hawaii County Director