Community-driven disaster response group Vibrant Hawaii is partnering with Hawaii County Civil Defense to offer four free webinars about disaster preparation beginning Tuesday.
Each hour-long online workshop will focus on how to support specific needs during natural disasters, including protecting children, people with disabilities and animals.
A panel of experts related to each topic will provide in-depth information to attendees about preparing and responding in the event of hurricanes, wildfires or other natural disasters. Each webinar runs from 11 a.m. to noon.
Vibrant Hawaii CEO Janice Ikeda said the webinar series offers information she hopes even those who already have taken measures to prepare for disasters will attend to learn more and pass the information on to people who might be hesitant to take the steps to get ready before an emergency occurs.
“There are folks out there who we will
not be able to reach … so we need your partnership to help spread the word to people in your church, in your sports club, on your pickleball team, whoever is not prepared, who don’t know how to get emergency information, or have not downloaded the (Civil Defense) app to get more information,” Ikeda said.
The first Zoom session on Tuesday will focus on general preparedness. It will feature a coordinator from the American Red Cross, a pharmacist and an insurance representative, Ikeda said.
She said the first webinar also will feature a representative from one of Vibrant Hawaii’s Resilience Hubs to educate the public about various community resources, points of contact, facilities and the number of people in each district, including the most vulnerable.
Ikeda said the June 24 Zoom meeting will focus on helping children through disasters, with a pediatrician and child psychologist on the panel.
The next virtual meeting on July 1 will discuss being prepared to save pets and animals. Ikeda said a Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance representative will join state senator and veterinarian Tim Richards and Pana‘ewa Zoo Administrator Mindy Runnells on the panel.
The final session on July 8 will focus on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities and will include a representative from Aloha Independent Living on the panel, Ikeda said.
“We want to ensure every household, their pets, their neighbors, and their kupuna who live on their street have this information and know how to be prepared,” Ikeda said.
Participants will receive downloadable resources and have the opportunity to pose questions directly during the Zoom calls.
The webinars are free and open to the public.
Registration is accessible anytime at www.vibranthawaii.org/get-involved.
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
