In the Wake of the Maui Fires, Here's How You Can Help
“Thank God we made it out alive. We had to drive through 9 ft. high flames and black thick smoke. We could feel the heart through the van doors and windows. Everything around us was exploding and the fire almost surrounded us.”
– Abay Abay family
I’ve written about natural disasters before, but this one was challenging… 115 people dead from smoke, fire, or drowning and 850+ still missing.
While the numbers are staggering and the before and after photos are dramatic, it’s the stories that get me.
I talked with Paul Jenkins, who’s lived on Maui since 1981 and signs every text message with “Mahalo.” Luckily, he and his wife live upcountry in Pukalani so their home was spared, but their friends weren’t so lucky.
XTERRA legends Gerry Clark and Steve Fisher have raced in all 25 World Championships in Maui from 1996-2021, and they both live in Lahaina. Gerry and his wife, Sara, escaped with only the clothes on their back before their home was destroyed.
Steve is best known for riding the Maui bike trails with the unofficial XTERRA mascot, a 3-foot-tall parrot named Hi‘ilani, perched on his shoulder. Steve lost his home, boat, and workshop. He has a wife, toddler, and newborn.
This article has 8 ways you can help, from giving to mutual aid organizations, food banks, or Venmo or GoFundMe for individual families.
For decades, the people of Hawaii have opened their hearts and home to triathletes, welcoming us into the Hawaiian ‘ohana. Ohana is about loyalty, love, and compassion. Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind. Let’s help our family now, when they need it the most.
