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Support Hawai'i Flood Response >>

Direct Relief Dispatches Emergency Medical Aid Amid Devastating Hawai’i Flooding

Emergency response staff are currently on the ground in Hawai’i supporting health services in flooded communities.

News

Extreme Weather

A Direct Relief employee passes a package to a FedEx worker in a purple shirt and purple gloves. They are standing in Direct Relief's warehouse and loading bright orange cardboard boxes that display the Direct Relief logo. The boxes are filled with requested medical aid bound for Hawaii after recent floods.
Medical aid departs on March 20, 2026 for communities impacted by flooding in Hawai’i. Ongoing medical support is departing this week to support health needs on the islands. (Shannon Hickerson/Direct Relief)
By Lara Cooper

In response to a devastating series of storms impacting the Hawaiian islands, Direct Relief is dispatching shipments of critical medical aid to equip local health providers.

Direct Relief emergency response staff are currently on the ground in Oʻahu and coordinating delivery of requested medicines, including antibiotics, water purification supplies, and chronic disease management medicines. These shipments, building on others that departed last week, will be departing throughout the week from the organization’s California headquarters.

Hawai’i is experiencing some of the worst flooding in more than two decades, due to a series of “kona low” storms, with some areas of the state receiving more than 46 inches of rain. Gov. Josh Green estimated that statewide damages could exceed $1 billion, affecting homes, roads, schools, and hospitals.

Officials have been closely monitoring the 120-year-old dam on Oʻahu, which reached critical levels and posed an “imminent risk” of failure earlier in the week. This resulted in thousands of evacuations, which have since been lifted. The North Shore remains under a boil water advisory, and more than 233 people were rescued statewide, including a group of 72 children and adults airlifted from a youth camp on Oʻahu’s west coast.

On Maui, several areas, including Lahaina, Kīhei, and ʻĪao Valley, remain under evacuation warnings due to high flood risks and monitoring of retention basins. Kula Hospital on Maui was evacuated, and patients were relocated due to severe water damage.

How is Direct Relief Responding to Hawai’i Floods?

Direct Relief’s response builds on trusted relationships with local organizations. Direct Relief responded extensively to the 2023 Hawaii wildfires and continues to support recovery.

A key partner in that response was the organization Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai’i, or HMHB, which continues to provide critical health services across the islands.

Last week, the organization distributed Direct Relief-donated hygiene items for displaced people on Maui, O’ahu, and the Big Island. They are also operating two mobile units providing health care services on the Big Island and O’ahu.

Ongoing shipments to HMHB and other groups include:

  • Inhalers, antibiotics, TDap vaccines, and other essential medications
  • Medical consumables, including bandages, syringes, and needles
  • Water purification supplies, since several areas are under boil water orders to keep people safe from waterborne illnesses
  • Field medic packs, which contain medical essentials for first responders providing triage care outside of clinic walls
  • Solar chargers, provided by Unite to Light
  • Insect repellent to protect from mosquitoes multiplying in standing water

Direct Relief also shipped requested aid to the Maui Department of Health, including diabetes management supplies and insect repellent to address both immediate needs and ongoing health risks following flooding.

Direct Relief continues to coordinate on medical needs with local health centers, including the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, as well as the Waimānalo Health Center, which operates a mobile medical program serving houseless populations impacted by the storms.

Direct Relief is also in communication with Kōkua Kalihi Valley Community Clinic of Maui, Hui No Ke Ola Pono on Maui, and other organizations about potential medical needs.

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