Puna residents interested in building a stronger community and assisting with implementation of the Kīlauea Recovery and Resilience Plan are encouraged to join resilience Action Teams.  During a a community briefing via Zoom on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, County Councimember Ashley Kierkiewicz, District 4, and County Recovery Officer Douglas Le provided an overview of what Action Teams are and how residents can get involved. A recording of the briefing and interest form can be found at recovery.hawaiicounty.gov.

Action Teams focus on community-driven projects that fall into one of several Resilience Capacity Areas – Social, Cultural, Economic, Natural Environment, Built Environment, and Youth. Each Resilience Capacity Area will be co-chaired by participants from the community and County who will provide Action Teams with technical assistance and guidance to help their projects succeed.

Examples of projects led by Action Teams include establishing resilience hubs (social/economic), invasive species mitigation and native forest restoration (natural environment), protecting wahi kūpuna (cultural), and restarting the Pahoa Village Master Plan process (built environment). A track dedicated to supporting youth and building their capacity and leadership abilities is also planned.

Residents are invited to get involved by completing the interest form found on the recovery website by Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. An orientation for Action Team members is scheduled for September 2021, in preparation for the quarterly community activation, Revitalize Puna, set for Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.