In response to the ongoing volcanic eruption event on the Big Island of Hawaii, and the evacuation of residents in the Puna area directly affected by the current lava flow, the Pacific Telecommunications Council has made a donation of surplus backpacks, water bottles, and t-shirts from PTC’18 in conjunction with event sponsors Global Cloud Xchange, Telefonica and CenturyLink.

While the PTC offices are on the island of Oahu, and PTC’19 will be held in January at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, PTC recognizes its role in the Hawaii community and out of concern for the Big Island residents affected, felt compelled to offer what support we could. PTC hopes that the donated items will help displaced residents in their time of need.

Three members of the United States Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu (USCG MSST) came to the PTC office to load the donated items into the USCG truck, and delivered them to the barge headed to the Big Island. Additional MSST members again devoted time and energy to transfer the donation onto the barge. When the barge arrived on the Big Island, the MSST members picked up the items and drove to the donation collection sites (both the Salvation Army and public radio-sponsored drive).

If you are also interested in helping Puna residents, please contact the Salvation Army at 808-756-0306.

There is no expected impact from the eruption event on PTC’19, as the volcano on the Big Island is being closely monitored, with the fissures isolated to the evacuated areas on the Big Island itself. Experts indicate that there is no threat of tsunamis from the volcanic activity and most of the air quality concerns remain in the immediate area of the lava flow. Per Hawaii Governor David Ige: “Travel is safe to the Hawaiian islands.” For more information, please read the complete release from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and Governor Ige.