Kauai Flood Relief
On April 14, 2018, the Island of Kauai experienced torrential rains that caused significant damage to the island and its communities.
The Walpa Foundation’s rain gauge recorded 49.69 inches of rain during a 24-hour period. Not only did this break the Hawaii record of 38 inches back in 1956, but it also surpassed the 24-hour record set in Alvin, Texas during 1979. The unfortunate disaster led to mudslides, flooding, erosion, and massive damage to the homes of many residents.
Roads, small bridges, and part of Hawaii Route 56 were washed away, along with some homes. Nearly 300 people need helicopter evacuation rescued. Following the events of this disaster, the Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, declared a state of emergency. The state legislature approved $125 million in funding, which is a testament to the scope of the damage.
Despite funding being given to the island, they are still in need of help. Organizations like Samaritan’s Purse unite grassroots volunteers from all over the country to rebuild houses for those who have lost so much.
As part of that relief, a handful of influencers got involved. Those included the aforementioned Robby Hayes, Paige Lorentzen, and Jake Petersen. Paige Lorentzen is an actress, known for her run on the TV series “Secret Diary of an American Cheerleader 4: Cheerleader Undercover.” She starred as Julia for the run in 2016. Recently, she worked in the short film, “A New Beginning,” and has nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram.
Jake Petersen is Rebella’s Media Director and runs their ‘Influence into Action’ initiative. Co-Founder Robby Hayes, who is a part of The Bachelor Nation in ABC’s megahit, “The Bachelorette” is nearing 500,000 Instagram followers and nearly another 100,000 on Twitter. Rebella teamed up with Samaritan’s Purse for a day to provide aid and promote their efforts across to their enormous following in Kauai.
“We spent a day with the volunteers and representatives of the organization helping to rebuild one of many local residents’ flood-damaged homes. This meant tearing down drywall, washing and scrubbing mold, and getting everything ready for the eventual restoration process, which continues on today, more than two months later,” said Hayes.
