MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota-Dakotas region of the Red Cross dispatched 10 volunteers, all trained un disaster relief, to help with the catastrophe on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The volunteers will help provide and food and emotional support for displaced residents and tourists, said Sue Thesenga, regional Red Cross spokesperson. The volunteers will stay as long as it takes, she said. The first priority is first aid kits and clean water, she said. Meanwhile, other Red Cross regions also are sending crews. Hurricane-driven wildfires destroyed western shore communities and claimed 80 lives at last count.`
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Thesenga: “We’re in this for the long haul. It’s not something that’s going to be resolved over the weekend. We’ll probably have people deployed from our region for the next several weeks or months maybe.”