Water distribution, device charging sites open on Hawaii Island after Lala

VOLCANO (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nine emergency water distribution and electronic device charging sites have opened across Hawaiʻi Island to support residents recovering from Hurricane Lala.

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The sites opened Monday afternoon and will remain active while supplies last.

The distribution effort is designed to provide immediate relief to communities facing utility outages and resource shortages following the storm.

Active distribution sites

Water and charging services are available at the following locations:

Community members seek power and resources

In addition to receiving water, residents are utilizing the sites to charge essential electronics. Volcano resident Cole Kirby said he had been running his car engine to charge his phone before learning about the station at the Cooper Center.

“I’ve been using my vehicle to charge my phone, just running the motor and then using the alternator and the battery to charge my phone,” Kirby said. “But it’s pretty inefficient as far as fuel and battery for your vehicle battery is concerned. So when I saw on Facebook that we have battery charging over here at the Cooper Center, I was excited.”

Plans for daily assistance

The relief effort is being coordinated by the Vibrant Hawaiʻi Resilience Hubs, the County of Hawaiʻi, and numerous community partners, including KTA Super Stores, The Food Basket, and The Salvation Army.

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Ashley Kierkiewicz, Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s chief resilience officer, said the organization is working with local leaders to sustain the operations.

“We are looking at doing daily distributions this week,” Kierkiewicz said. “Again, staying in close contact with people that live in various communities. We’ve got hub captains everywhere to just gauge need.”

Kierkiewicz advised residents to check Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s website for daily schedule updates.

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