Utah Red Cross Volunteers Deploy to Hawaii Flood Relief

When severe flooding turned Hawaiian roads into rivers last weekend, three volunteers from Utah answered the call to help.

Red Cross volunteers from Sandy, Salt Lake City, and Layton deployed to Hawaii to assist with shelter operations and damage assessments after heavy rain damaged hundreds of homes. At the height of the storms, the American Red Cross operated 18 shelters across the islands, providing food, emotional support, and temporary refuge to displaced families.

Conditions were especially dangerous on Oahu, where floodwaters forced more than 230 people to be rescued. By Monday night, 29 people remained in Red Cross shelters, down from earlier counts as families began returning home.

Matt Stevens, a regional disaster officer for the American Red Cross, explained the immediate priorities. "It's the food, sheltering, and water," he said. "Of course we're also going to be providing mental health support and health services, which is nurses and physicians that connect with people that maybe lost medications while they were temporarily displaced."

The deployment happened fast. Volunteers received calls Saturday morning and were on planes to Hawaii shortly after. The Red Cross headquarters in Washington D.C. analyzes volunteer expertise and qualifications, then matches them with disasters needing specific skills.

The Ripple Effect

Additional Utah teams have been placed on standby as response efforts continue. Crews are working in areas where cell service has been disrupted, reaching isolated communities still assessing damage.

The Red Cross is encouraging people to sign up now, noting that hurricane and wildfire season is approaching. Training volunteers before disasters strike means faster response when communities need help most. "Any Utahn that might be interested in supporting on that next disaster, we encourage them to go online to redcross.org and apply," Stevens said. "We get them trained up now and we'll send them out just like we sent out folks on Saturday to Hawaii."

The quick response shows how volunteer networks across the country stand ready to help neighbors thousands of miles away when disaster strikes.