A film that aims to highlight community resilience and strength in the wake of tragedy, created by a filmmaker whose family survived the deadly 2023 Maui brush fires, has been selected to be part of the 2024 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF). Part of the film Healing Lahaina focuses on the teen disaster preparedness training delivered through the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Cooperative Extension in Maui County that teaches participants about CPR, medical triage and more.
The family of film director Laurel Tamayo lost their home in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, and several family members discuss their own accounts of the fire. In addition to clips from the training, Nancy Ooki, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources associate extension agent for Maui County, discusses why the training is important to the youth and community. Through the film, the director spotlights the strength of the community, their ability to take action and support one another, and the hope for a better future.
The film will premiere at HIFF on Oʻahu on October 8 and 10. Additional showings will take place on Hawaiʻi Island (November 2), on Maui (October 19) and on Lānaʻi (October 23). As part of the Maui showing, a community event is being planned to share information and resources on the training.
Teen disaster training
The program was started in 2018 on Maui and has currently trained more than 500 youth, including 100 teens from across the state during a fall 2023 training on Maui in response to the wildfires on Maui. Youth in the Maui program were recognized as having completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Teen Community Emergency Response Team training as part of the Maui Emergency Management Agency. As such they can continue with additional training and participate in community education events.
As part of their 30 hours of training, participants demonstrate their knowledge and skills in several areas, including first aid, triage, communication, and damage assessment during a live action disaster simulation where they work in teams to locate and rescue survivors.
The program will expand to Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island during the next year and will be looking for adults to train as instructors for the program. More information will be sent out through the local Youth Development Extension Agents on each island.
For more information about the program contact Ooki at ooki@hawaii.edu or (808) 244-3242 ext. 225.
