'I think the silence, that's the loudest noise ever': Florida gym owner devastated for family in Maui
TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - The long road to recovery has just barely begun in Maui, as rescue missions are still underway after the deadly wildfires.
The death toll continues to rise. Thousands of other people have lost everything they owned.
One woman in the Tampa Bay Area is sharing the devastation through her family’s eyes. She wants to be a voice for them and help let people know how they can aid in the recovery efforts.
Kui Hafoka-Barreno watched through photos and videos, as her childhood went up in flames. She grew up in Maui before moving to Florida.
She opened her gym several years ago, Aumakua Fitness, centered around her roots.
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"My slogan here in Temple Terrace is Ohana first, fitness second," she said.
While her world continues spinning, she has her family and childhood friends in Maui on her mind constantly.
"The streets that I grew up on no longer exist," she said. "You know, my history of my people that we try to pass down from generation to generation now has to be word of mouth as we try to piece together those stories."
The gym owner says her childhood went up in flames.
She said her family has lost everything, as the fires burned homes, schools and neighborhoods to ashes.
"This is not somebody's, you know, sad story," Hafoka-Barreno explained. "This is a city. This is thousands of people."
She said she first heard about the fires from her mother, and immediately began trying to contact everyone in her family to make sure they were safe.
READ: Project Dynamo partners with local Maui company to transport perishable supplies
"I'm trying to text with no response," she said. "Like I think the silence, that's the loudest noise ever."
She said her mother and two uncles were able to escape the fires, but were left empty-handed.
"It's like a movie, but it's real life," Hafoka-Barreno shared. "And it's funny because everybody is describing it as like this, you know, this crazy catastrophe that had happened. And I was like, but at the end of the day, it's not a catastrophe. It's real."
Maui is known as a vacation island to so many, but Hafoka-Barreno reminds people it’s a home to thousands that has been snatched away.
The wildfires in Maui devastated communities.
"To give us the respect," she said. "Let us heal our loss and our pain. Let us continue to fund our people, before you start to come back to Lahaina and try to enjoy your vacations."
Despite the devastation that will stick with her family and friends for years to come, she rests on her faith that her community will eventually rise from the ashes.
Hafoka-Barreno said she’s making it her mission to educate people here in Florida about what’s going on and how they can effectively help the island of Maui rebuild.
READ: FOX, American Red Cross team up to support victims of Hawaii wildfires
"I'm blessed to be here," she said. "But now it's my turn to do my duty to my people. And I plan on doing so."
She said people need the most basic necessities right now, before they can truly begin to rebuild.
The most helpful right now is not shoes and clothes, unfortunately, which a lot of people are donating," she said. "And it's wonderful. That's great. I always say, hold off for later because there's a time and place for different donations right now. But people need water, they need medication, they need insulin, they need the basic necessities for like, you know, feminine products."
Hafoka-Barreno says her mother and two uncles were able to escape.
She said monetary donations and gift cards are also extremely important right now to help people pay for food, gas, hotels and other housing.
Hafoka-Barreno is collecting monetary donations and basic necessities at her gym, Aumakua Fitness, in Temple Terrace. She plans to coordinate shipments of the donations over to the island with her family’s help once the major aid efforts slow down.
READ: Photos: Maui's historic Lahaina ravaged by deadly wildfire
To make monetary donations or donate items through the Hawaii Community Foundation, click here.
To donate through Aloha United Way, click here.
The American Red Cross of Central Florida has sent staff to Maui to help with emergency relief efforts. To make monetary donations or sign up to help with the American Red Cross, click here.
To make donations through the Hawaii Peoples’ Fund, click here.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is also accepting donations. For more information, click here.