While our world locally marches forward in a seemingly normal manner, for friends and family on Maui that same world has been turned upside down.
I remember the post-‘Iniki days. I remember living without electricity for months, the National Guard bringing around the MRIs, and standing in long lines waiting patiently with cooler in hand for ice.
I remember the fear of losing both my business and my home, and moving my family of four in with my brother and his family of four plus my wife’s parents and her sister — 11 of us living in a three-bedroom house.
I remember going through my half destroyed home, salvaging photos and personal mementos — praying that I had paid the insurance bill. I remember the checks that used to come in the mail and our jobs that had sustained us comfortably were all gone.
I remember wondering if our lives would ever return to normal again.
Sadly, for far too many of our friends on Maui, normal will never return.
Take the ‘Iniki experience and multiply it by 1,000 and maybe it starts to approach the trauma that is the Maui disaster.
The people of Maui are strong, resilient, and possess a shared spirit of aloha that will in the end carry the day. But we must help them, just as they stepped up to help us following ‘Iniki.
We must help and support our friends, and honor the many acts of heroism that have occurred and have yet to occur. Think for a moment of those firefighters who may have also lost their own homes and yet continue even today — exhausted, overwhelmed, and no doubt disappointed they could not have done more.
And, yes, we must learn the lessons as best we can from this terrible disaster to ensure it never ever happens again.
There are many nonprofit organizations and the county, state and federal governments all stepping up in various capacities, but the task at hand is formidable. We must also dig deep and help our brothers and sisters on the Valley Island.
The Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund is one organization that deserves our support: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong.
Please help if you can.
We who do not live on Maui must send them our support and our prayers, but also keep on keeping on with the regular business of the day. Unfortunately, the multitude of ongoing issues and local challenges do not step aside and wait patiently while attention is focused on the disaster, the sadness, and the hardship.
But for today, it’s Maui on our mind.
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Gary Hooser served eight years in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kaua‘i County Counci. He presently writes on Hawaii Policy and Politics at www.garyhooser.blog.
Lotta me, me, me Gary. An astute observer had this to offer political types like you:
“At a time when this country and the world are steeped in madness and hate, more and more atrocities continue to take place, with almost zero empathy evident by the political class. The last evil ‘ruler,’ just one among all, ‘chosen’ by the ‘people,’…and this was his response to the State’s complicit murder of those in Lahaina just recently, after a very suspicious and devastating fire had destroyed an entire town and its residents. He had the audacity to offer these poor people who lost everything, including many family members, a one-time $700 payment per household. This was in the midst of giving over $200 million more to Ukraine’s political criminals recently, with plans to give many more billions; this after more than $113 billion has already been paid to enrich the newly rich politicians in Ukraine. (Apparently, blackmail garners payment more than actual need of Americans) This alone should be enough for everyone in this country to grasp how little this government cares about its own, and how worthless all in the governing system have become. To depend on, or trust this scum to defend you from harm, is asinine beyond explanation.”
It is the people of Hawaii and particularly those who live on Maui that have given the most and really do care about their own. Remember this come November.
RSW
Tulsi Gabbard hit the nail on the head again with this one. She even called BS to the lack of use of the warning system that is about the best in the world. We all need to give all that we can to help these people but giving through organizations that send all or almost all of the money and goods donated to the area and do take a level of the top to pay for the big salaries. Don’t take a portion to pay bribes to those making the arrangements to the ones in charge like Ukraine…who don’t try to compare this disaster and horrible event to a possible kitchen fire or loosing a Corvette.
This is about the people of Maui…KEEP IT THAT WAY!