June 2018 - September 2018: Immediately after the 2018 eruption, our Puna community was faced with a variety of recovery challenges. Approximately 3,000 individuals were impacted and 700 properties inundated. During this emotional and traumatic time, Mindful Living stepped in to assist impacted individuals through the insurance claims process. We created and led a community forum that provided technical assistance, general support and step-by-step guidance for nearly 100 individuals to apply for their insurance claims. This resulted in expedited "Loss of Use" claims that supported individuals' rental payments after having lost their primary home. Eventually, the majority of individuals with adequate coverage were able to claim and receive their payout helping them to begin rebuilding their homes and lives.
January 2019 - on-going: Mindful Living leads a coalition of community leaders and organizations impacted by the 2018 Kilauea eruption. The coalition, called I mua Lower Puna, unites disaster victims to re-gain access to their homes and land and support each other in rebuilding respective communities. Currently, a large part of our efforts, is to ensure County road recovery is implemented and Federal, State, County disaster funding is prioritized for disaster areas and victims. We engage with a variety of stakeholders, including the County of Hawaii Recovery Task Force, to continue navigating the recovery process.