Hawaii Pacific Baptist Disaster Relief:
Bringing Help, Hope, and Healing When Disaster Strikes
When natural disasters strike Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, or throughout the Pacific region, Hawaii Pacific Baptist Disaster Relief (HPBDR) volunteers are among the first to respond and the last to leave. Your generous gifts support our dedicated volunteers who provide crucial physical and spiritual assistance to communities devastated by hurricanes, typhoons, floods, wildfires, and other catastrophes.
As part of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) network, one of the nation’s largest disaster response organizations, HPBDR operates across all Hawaiian islands and the Pacific region, with trained volunteers responding to various disasters with a range of services. Our disaster relief teams don’t just provide immediate physical help—they bring help, hope, and healing to those facing their darkest hours.
Your donations enable our volunteers to:
- Respond quickly when disasters strike our Pacific communities
- Provide essential services including food preparation, debris removal, and cleanup
- Offer emotional and spiritual care to traumatized survivors
- Deploy shower trailers and other specialized equipment to disaster zones
- Train new volunteers in disaster response techniques
- Send Hawaii-based teams to provide relief in mainland U.S. and international disasters
HPBDR works in strategic partnership with county and state emergency management agencies, FEMA, and participates in Volunteers Active in Disaster (VOAD) networks. These relationships prove invaluable when major events occur, allowing us to efficiently coordinate resources and maximize our impact.
In recent years, our teams have responded to numerous disasters, including the devastating Maui wildfires and Typhoon Mawar in Guam, which caused extensive damage with winds reaching 140 mph. When Guam’s infrastructure was severely compromised, our disaster relief co-directors were on the ground within days, connecting with local churches and organizing relief efforts that included chainsaw work, supply distribution, and shelter support.
All HPBDR volunteers undergo specialized training and certification, ensuring they have the skills needed to effectively assist in disaster situations. This professional preparation allows our teams to work seamlessly with government agencies, other relief organizations, and local churches in coordinated response efforts.
When you give to Hawaii Pacific Baptist Disaster Relief, you’re not just funding equipment and supplies—you’re investing in people who selflessly serve others in their time of greatest need. You’re helping maintain our readiness to respond when the next disaster strikes, whether here in Hawaii or across the Pacific region.
Your contribution ensures that when hurricanes devastate communities, when wildfires destroy homes, or when floods wash away neighborhoods, trained and compassionate volunteers will be ready to provide both immediate relief and long-term recovery support.
Join us in this vital ministry as we stand ready to respond to disasters throughout Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, across Asia, and beyond. Your gift today helps ensure that when disaster strikes, hope arrives.
A message from John and Gay about Hawaii Pacific Baptist Disaster Relief:
Here are a few lessons we have learned in the past several years about how to best serve those in our community.
First, we must each be prepared.
By making sure our families are ready, we will be in a better position to help others. As hurricane season approaches, prepare yourself and your loved ones by having the recommended hurricane supplies.
Second, we must make sure our churches are ready.
Only then can we truly be in a place to help and serve our neighbors. Should a major event happen in our beautiful Island home, we can’t always rely on others to come from the mainland.
Unlike disasters on the mainland, where help can arrive from neighboring states, we need to stand on our own. This has become very apparent with the current travel restrictions and possible transportation issues during a disaster.
The good news is our HPBC Disaster Relief ministry has a strong core of trained volunteers and great equipment. What we need most is you! By training as a disaster relief volunteer, you can be better prepared as an individual and as a member of your church. There truly is a spot for everyone to serve. We get the unique privilege of serving those in crisis. The ability to demonstrate, in a very real way, the love of Christ is a privilege we want to share. We would love to have you volunteer and look forward to serving with you.
The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief logo incorporates two types of ministry, physical and spiritual, exemplified by Christ.
Bringing Help, Hope, and Healing,
disasterrelief@hpbaptist.net