I was in Maui the day the fires started. It was the last day of our family vacation in Maui. It's been 26 years since my husband and I were on the island for our honeymoon.
We stayed a couple of miles north of Lahaina and left our Airbnb at 8:30am to go to the airport. Gas stations in the area were all closed due to the power outages. We were caught in traffic due to road detours and traffic light outages. At that point, we did see smoke on the hill but we didn't know there was a brush fire.
The wind was very gusty that day(see photo), At points, we were like driving in a sandstorm with dry sand/debris from the hillside. We were thankful we finally got on the only highway and made it to the airport. When we were returning our rental car, the lady told us about a brush fire. I actually saw the "small fire" on the hill as we were taking off. Not until the next morning when we woke up in Seattle we learned what had happened to Lahaina.
We were shopping and dining on Front Street just the day before and it is all gone. If our flight had been for a few hours later, we could have been in the midst of it.
I'm not from Hawaii but I've always felt a connection. Black Sand Designs was named after a black sand beach I had visited in Maui. My first logo was a sea turtle. My pieces are inspired by the laid-back beauty and a sense of down-to-earth elegance of the island of Maui and Kauai. I even have a few of my original pieces with Hawaiian names. My heart goes out to all those who are affect by this disaster.
From now until 9/30, 50% of the proceed from all orders will be donated to help with Maui fire relief.
If you would like to do a direct cash donation, here are a few trustworthy organizations providing disater relief in Maui.
- The Maui Strong Fund
- The American Red Cross in Hawaii
- Aloha United Way
- The Maui Food Bank
- Maui Humane Society
Mahalo,
Irene
Update: The first donation went to this GoFundMe to all the employees at this local Maui business that my family visited during our time in Maui in August, the day before the fire started.
