The American Red Cross is mobilizing to help devastated Lahaina, Maui.
Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, at least three wildfires erupted on Maui this week, racing through parched brush covering the island.
The most serious one left Lahaina a grid of gray, ashen rubble, wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. Skeletal remains of buildings bowed under roofs that pancaked in the blaze. Palm trees were torched, boats in the harbor were scorched and the stench of burning lingered.
Red Cross Regional Communications Director for Minnesota and the Dakotas, Carrie Carlson-Guest, says 10 volunteers are on their way to Hawaii to assist.
"They're going to be helping with sheltering, making sure all the backend warehousing and materials are in the right places, helping with spiritual care, and also reunification," says Carlson-Guest.
Carlson-Guest says while every disaster is different, this one ranks among the worst she's seen in her 20 years with the organization.
"Just heartbreaking, incredible devastation," Carlson-Guest tells WCCO. "It's one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in recent history. We're going to be there for a long time."
Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens sounded before people ran for their lives from wildfires on Maui that killed at least 55 people and wiped out the historic town. Instead, officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations — but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.
The wildfires are the state’s deadliest natural disaster since a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150 people on the Big Island, prompted the development of the territory-wide emergency system that includes the sirens, which are sounded monthly to test their readiness.
You can make a donation to help the Lahaina wildfire recovery effort online, by phone or by text. More information at redcross.org.
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