Updated at 6:28 p.m., Tuesday, October 23, 2007
4 Hawaii Red Cross volunteers join fire-relief effort
Advertiser Staff
Four volunteers from the Hawai'i chapter of the American Red Cross are being sent to Southern California to join the Red Cross relief effort in response to the wildfires.Esther Lau and Jerry Brown of O'ahu and Bob Hartman and Denn Ko of Maui will support various aspects of the relief operation, such as helping affected families obtain health services and shelter.
They are scheduled to fly to San Diego tomorrow and will be there at least two weeks, said Maria Lutz, Hawai'i Red Cross director of disaster services.
Ko and Lau are nurses, Brown is a shelter manager and Hartman is trained in "mass care," or providing a variety of services for large groups.
They are part of a national network of Red Cross disaster volunteers who are trained to deploy to large relief operations for up to three week assignments. Community members interested in becoming local or national disaster volunteers should contact their nearest Red Cross office. All Red Cross disaster training is open to the public and offered at no cost.
