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Tampa Bay non-profit gives update on Maui relief
Kellie Cowan reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Nearly 100 people are dead and thousands are displaced in Maui due to wildfires.
A Tampa Bay non-profit is assisting with relief efforts on the island. Founder and CEO of Project Dynamo, Bryan Stern, said that they have teamed up with a local company, Air Maui Helicopters.
Project Dynamo started off doing rescues, and now they've added humanitarian drops, according to Stern.
Courtesy: Project Dynamo
The helicopters are being used to assist survivors. They also are using their temperature regulated helicopters to transport perishable supplies like breast milk and sensitive medications.
Entire city blocks have been incinerated according to Stern, so Maui needs as much help as possible.
RELATED: Tampa-based nonprofit Project Dynamo helping with Maui evacuations
"Depending on where you’re going and how you’re doing it and a bunch of other things it could take you five, six, seven, eight hours. By air, we make it 12 minutes. Got a cooler, and we flew the cooler with breast milk and ice in 12 minutes it got to where it needed to go," explained Stern.
They have also deployed into hot zones on the island to help in search and rescue efforts looking for missing loved ones and pets.
READ: 'Took everything with it': Maui resident recounts escape from raging wildfires
Officials say cell service is still very spotty across Maui. But, Project Dynamo is helping people connect with those impacted by the fires.
"Maui is a big place, but it's also a really small place at the same time. There's some terrain issues because of mountains and that kind of stuff that makes it a little bit challenging from a communication perspective," shared Stern.
He also said that power has come back in a lot of areas on the island, but water is still bad.
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