Press Release: HVERI Announces Start of Nonprofit Services
Outreach Includes Volcano Education and Digital Resilience Against Disasters
HAWAIʻI ISLAND, HAWAIʻi – August 3, 2023 – The Hawaiian Volcano Education and Resilience Institute (HVERI) today announces the launch of its nonprofit operations and services as an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organization, accompanied by an inaugural fundraising campaign.
Founded by residents of the Island of Hawaiʻi who were directly affected by the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano, HVERI’s mission is to improve disaster preparedness, response and recovery through volcano education and resilience network building.
HVERI assumes management of the ongoing Hawaiʻi Tracker project, a community-led resilience initiative highlighted by a moderated Facebook group of over 119,000 members. This social media network empowers all connected community members to exchange information, increasing engagement with officials and improving response especially during disasters.
Hawaiʻi Tracker emerged in 2018 as the most-trusted informational and organizational resource for lava-impacted communities, recognized by the Hawaiʻi County Council for “dedication in bringing consistent and factual information to our island residents in a timely manner when they needed it most.” In USGS research on “Hawaiʻi residents’ perceptions of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption information”, Hawaiʻi Tracker scored highest among all messengers on relevance, expertise, sincerity and pace. Hawaiʻi Tracker was also recognized by the Big Island Press Club’s first “Excellence in Media Innovation” award in 2019.
Hawaiʻi Tracker’s Volcano Education Program has continued to produce weekly articles and live videos in the 5 years to the day since the end of the main phase of the 2018 eruption. Initially operated entirely by volunteers, more recently support has come from Hawaiʻi County’s Puna Strong and Waiwai grants under fiscal sponsorship by Malama O Puna and Kuleana Pāhoa, and administered by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.
During the 2022 Maunaloa eruption, Hawaiʻi Tracker partnered with the Hawaiʻi County Mayor’s Office and Civil Defense, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the US Army Garrison at Pohakuloa, as well as crowd-sourced content from the community, to produce frequent and in-depth eruption updates and interviews. Hawaiʻi Tracker has also responded to Kīlauea’s summit eruptions beginning in Dec. 2020, Sep. 2021, Jan. 2023 and June 2023.
HVERI also assumes oversight of Hawaiʻi Tracker’s Digital Resilience Program that educates community on the uses and hazards of social media and artificial intelligence (AI), while nurturing trusted online spaces for disaster communications. This involves maintenance and moderation of the Hawaiʻi Tracker network itself along with building relationships with other nonprofits, community groups and disaster responders.
This also includes finalization and deployment of the Digital Resilience Hub Framework, a model for other community-based social media groups to participate in disaster response. Digital Resilience Hubs will be certified by fulfilling certain requirements and completing Hawaiʻi Tracker’s recently developed Social Media Moderation Training Program. The framework is based on the success of the Facebook group and a suite of peer-reviewed research, and designed for collaborative disaster response with Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s alliance of island-wide Resilience Hubs and supporting partners, including Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense.
To accomplish all this, HVERI is launching an inaugural online fundraising campaign with the initial goal to support ongoing projects, then to expand its staff and outreach programs through internships and new hirings.
“We are excited to introduce our new nonprofit to the Hawaiʻi Island community,” said Philip Ong, Co-Executive Director of HVERI. “We began serving communities impacted by the eruption over five years ago as volunteers, started receiving donations, and eventually were awarded grants under the fiscal sponsorship of other nonprofits. We are confident our new organization will allow us to expand our funding, build a diverse workforce, and strengthen our outreach island-wide in the years to come. We appreciate the community’s support to kickstart this next chapter through our inaugural fundraising campaign.”
Donations can be made at https://hveri.org/donate.
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About the Hawaiian Volcano Education and Resilience Institute (HVERI)
Founded by residents of the Island of Hawaiʻi who were directly affected by the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano, HVERI’s mission is to improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery through volcano education and resilience network building.
HVERI manages the Hawaiʻi Tracker project, a community-led resilience initiative highlighted by a moderated Facebook group hosting over 119,000 members, a social media network that empowers residents and responders to exchange information especially during disasters. This encompasses both a Volcano Education Program that produces timely social media content and a Digital Resilience Program that nurtures trusted online spaces for disaster communications.
For more information, please visit https://hveri.org/ .
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HVERI_org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HVERI
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Media Contact:
Dane duPont, Co-Executive Director