Michiganders worry over family, friends stuck in Hawaii

By Ta’Niyah Jordan

Click here for updates on this story

    LANSING, Michigan (WNEM) — The grim aftermath of devastating wildfires that caused apocalyptic damage to homes on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The death toll is expected to continue to climb as search teams comb through devastated burn areas recovering any remains they may find. On Monday, a lawsuit related to the potential cause of the fires was filed.

With the death toll now at 96, it is the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Tens of thousands of Hawaii residents, and tourists, are being forced to evacuate the island. The fires may be thousands of miles away, but they have an impact on people living right here in Mid-Michigan. People are calling home to Hawaii, checking on loved ones throughout the day, and hoping they’re safe throughout the night.

“I haven’t heard back from one of my friends who grew up there so I’m a little worried about him and his family,” said Henry Mochida.

Mochida is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Communications Manager at Michigan State University. His roots go back to Oahu, Hawaii. Mochida still has family and friends in Hawaii — about 30 minutes away from the wildfires in Maui.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this. We have a robust alarm system to warn us of events at an island and state level. So, I’m just imagining that this type of fire storm came so fast that we just didn’t have the resources.”

On August 8, Hawaii’s battle with wildfires started and widespread destruction made its way to Lahaina. It’s a historic resort with 13,000 residents, millions of tourists, and a ton of ‘fond’ memories for Mochida. “My classmates had a family-owned restaurant called Longhis. So, we would stop by during spring break and go to the restaurant before hitting the beach.”

According to Maui County officials, the wildfires have destroyed more than 2,000 acres of Lahaina. Local restaurants like Longhi’s in Lahaina are in bad shape, or no longer standing.

The Small Business Association said they are helping home and business owners recover from the devastation. “We saw businesses of every size just burn to the ground. Businesses that are your traditional store-fronts where you walk in, have a meal, or buy something local – to those entrepreneurs that may simply want a table at a fair selling some of the things that are made in that community,” said SBA Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates it will cost $5.5 billion to rebuild Maui. Relief agencies are on the ground helping provide relief to families impacted by the fires.

“We are typically prepared for tsunami’s, hurricanes, droughts, even air strikes. But a hurricane-powered fire storm is a phenomenon that I don’t think anyone could be prepare for. So, we’re just all in shock,” said Mochida.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.