Needs (from the Lahaina Devastation)
Posted by delta on August 10th, 2023
Here’s the thing. We are on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. EVERYTHING is flown or otherwise shipped in. If we have 10,000 to 50,000 displaced folks (no one knows actual numbers) all heading to Kahului as I write this, the stores will be empty in a few hours. These folks have nothing but what they were able to grab and throw in their car – so when they go shopping, they’re going to need “a few” things…
There is no where to go – there’s no supplies “in the next town” – we can not drive away from this…
If you drive around “town” (Central Maui), you see many people are “in place” in the store parking lots. I asked a few folks earlier why they decided to stay in the parking lot and they responded that it was the only real way they could get fresh food (and they are cooking it on their grill they brought over with them)…
That’s a great plan – as long as supplies keep coming…
It appears as though more than a few folks are going to be “camping” because supplies are low and they don’t trust there will be any supplies “tomorrow” – most are thinking the event will be over and they will have a plan before the red cross “gets it together” – so tents of all sizes and types will probably be helpful…
Many do not know about family members because (along with most of front street) everything else is down in Lahaina – they have no running water, no electricity and no cell phone service… We do not have enough emergency service personnel to deal with the situation. As such, many civilians – in the hopes of finding loved ones, supplying family and friends who will not leave or getting family and friends out – are “going back in”.
We also need to support the emergency personnel – who will probably be out there for weeks with the cleanup effort…
Throwing money at this will do nothing – we have finite supplies to buy. If you truly want to help send stuff to a few local churches and they can distribute them as needed. The two I recommend are in the last post.
The team at “In His House of Restoration” is onsite 24/7 and they have had donations of food and clothing – they also have a sizable sanctuary. Many from the Lahaina side have family and friends who go to this church and it is an easy drive back into Lahaina from their location (with supplies). We (my family) have been using “In His House” as a hub (dropping off stuff) for people we know who are coming out of Lahaina to get supplies and going back in…
The Team at Calvary Chapel South Maui run a Food Bank, have a team of folks making bagged lunches upstairs in the sanctuary (to take to whoever calls for some) and have an input center to separate and distribute donated items. Just this evening as we were closing up a few folks came by and said they had a boat and were going to take stuff from Maalaea Harbor to the “other side” (Lahaina) – we were able to load them up, follow them to the harbor, load up the boats, throw a few of our people onboard and get them out of there within 45 minutes…
We need a way to get fresh water to these folks – it isn’t coming fast enough – so “Rainman Desalination Kits” would be great for that. We are surrounded by ocean, so…
Maui is like Mexico – “Don’t Drink The Water” – Berkey Water Filters, The Water Machine, Sawyer Water Filtration Systems or LifeStraw Peak Series Water Filters would be great to clean ALL water before folks drank it…
Advanced Elements Summer Showers or RinseKits would be great for taking showers – many of our beaches on the south side of the island have showers (in case you’re displaced and looking for one)…
Being able to cook without starting a fire would be great right now – and we have plenty of sun – so Go Sun Fusions and All American Sun Ovens would be great
Meals Ready To Eat (MRE’s) would be incredible at this point – just add hot water, mix, wait a few minutes and eat – Ready Wise and Patriot Supply is where I get mine.
If you have MRE’s you will also want to have a Sun Kettle® Solar Cooker – which will use the sun to boil (clean) your water for the MRE’s and you can put it in your backpack for transport…
People want to charge their cellphones and peripherals and keep the lights on so Portable Power Stations with Portable Solar Panels would be great for that: Inergytek, RockPals and EcoFlow are good places to start…
Like I said, we have plenty of sun here…. Any flashlights that can be charged with the sun (or hand cranked), any flashlights and AA or AAA batteries would be great! My “go to” has been the The PUC Expandable Lantern / Charger for a few years now. I love these things – and I can charge my cell phone from them. This company makes other flashlights and lanterns (all solar), but I love the PUC…
Toilet paper, shaving kits, towels, slippers – the small things really count right now because many people have lost everything and are going to literally be on an empty lot in a few days… and, of course, you can make direct monetary donations – but there may be no supplies to buy shortly – so if you can, please send them…
5 gallon gas jugs are needed BADLY – and everyone on the island is sold out right now. There are folks on the Lahaina side who just need a few gallons of gas to get Central. Gas pumps don’t work without electricity – and there are no gas stations left in Lahaina – and there are no 5 gallon jugs in Lahaina – we have to take full jugs in and give them gas so they can get out…