This week, KNX News is honoring a SoCal mother-daughter duo who made incredible efforts to help save lives while on vacation in Hawaii.
When the deadly fires broke out on Maui in the summer of 2023, Vesta Sung and her daughter, Nathalie, were traveling around the island when they were suddenly caught in a windstorm.
"We were actually planning on going into Lahaina, but we missed our turn because we were talking, and we were like, wow, it's so crazy windy," Nathalie told Heroes Host Heather Jordan. "I'm looking, and I see a fire, maybe half a mile away from where we were. Then we ended up pulling over and stayed on the side of the road for about 6 hours, watching the fire grow."
Vesta Sung, Sung Family
Instead of cutting their trip short and evacuating, Vesta and Nathalie stayed and volunteered for 10 days straight, helping organize a relief shelter at Maui High School for 1,200 residents and tourists.
Vesta Sung, Sung Family
Vesta became the overall shelter manager, relying on her training with the Red Cross. Natalie, with her calm strength, moved into a leadership role. Together, they gathered volunteers, collected and handed out food and clothing, and set up areas to sleep.
Vesta Sung, Sung Family
They also provided a shoulder to lean on and a hug when needed.
Vesta Sung, Sung Family
Vesta says going through that disaster helped her prepare for the L.A. fires this past January.
"I was with Red Cross on day 0, where we were having coordination calls trying to figure out if we were going to get involved because, at that point, it was just a Palisades fire," she said. "I actually was the headquarters sheltering manager for the 1st 3 weeks, and we opened 13 shelters."
Vesta and her daughter Natalie were recently honored by the American Red Cross for their compassion and heroism, and we are honoring them and our KNX Heroes of the Week!
Check out all our KNX Heroes here.
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