PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  — A Red Cross volunteer from Keizer is heading to Hawaii Wednesday to help families recovering from Hurricane Lala.

A field of debris is seen after Hurricane Lala in Naalehu, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall, causing extensive damage to towns along the island's southern end. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
A field of debris is seen after Hurricane Lala in Naalehu, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall, causing extensive damage to towns along the island's southern end. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

But for Darrell Fuller, the mission carries a personal connection.

Nearly 20 years ago, Fuller's family experienced a disaster of their own — and the Red Cross was there to help.

Now, he says, he has a chance to return that support to people facing their own crisis.

"I'm incredibly grateful to have the opportunity and to have the flexibility and to go out and help people who've been impacted by the disasters," Fuller said.

Fuller is scheduled to leave from Portland International Airport Wednesday afternoon.

He will spend three weeks in Hawaii conducting disaster assessments in communities hit by the storm.

Hurricane Lala brought nearly 40 inches of rain to some areas in less than 48 hours, damaging roads, isolating communities and leaving tens of thousands of people without power, Fuller said.

"I'll be doing disaster assessment on the ground in communities, checking on addresses and seeing if the home has been completely destroyed or partially destroyed," Fuller said.

Darrell Fuller
Darrell Fuller

The Red Cross is also helping provide shelter, food and places for people to charge their phones and stay connected.

Fuller has responded to disasters in Hawaii before. 

"I was in Hawaii just a couple of years ago for the Lahaina Fire, so this is not the first time I've responded to a disaster in Hawaii," Fuller said.

But his reason for volunteering goes back much further.

In 2007, Fuller's family lost their home in a fire. He says Red Cross volunteers stepped in to care for his family and his young children.

The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)
The Fuller family's home went up in flames in 2007.(Courtesy Darrell Fuller)

"And so this is just an opportunity for me to say thank you to those people that responded to our smaller disaster," Fuller said.

Fuller says he now gets to offer that same support to families thousands of miles away.

"It gives me an opportunity to go out there and make a difference in the lives of people that I've never met before," Fuller said.

Fuller says he will be the third volunteer from Oregon sent to Hawaii. He says nearly 100 Red Cross workers are now on the ground there.

Meanwhile, other Oregon volunteers continue responding to wildfires in Central and Eastern Oregon and Washington state.

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