Tampa woman says 'Aloha spirit' is still alive in Maui after wildfires burned most of the island
TAMPA, Fla. - Recovery on the island of Maui has barely begun, as rescue efforts are still underway after wildfires burned much of the island to the ground.
One Tampa woman, who is a Maui native, is headed to her home island for the first time in at least 15 years.
"It is so surreal," Kui Hafoka Barreno said. "I am so excited, but at the same time I'm very nervous. I don't know what to expect. You see pictures and stuff, but when you see something in person, it's completely different."
However, the trip will be much more bittersweet than she imagined. Hafoka-Barreno grew up for much of her childhood in Maui, and her family and friends lost everything in the fires.
On Monday, she said she got the devastating news that some of her extended family didn’t survive.
"We lost some family members, so that was a little hard to swallow today," she said.
Kui Hafoka Barreno plans to return to Maui for the first time in 15 years.
Hafoka-Barreno said some kind people in the community in Tampa heard her family’s story and are sponsoring her flight to Maui.
She’s been collecting donations at her gym outside Tampa, Aumakua Fitness, to eventually take back over to the people in Maui. On Wednesday, she’ll be going to the island for a couple of days to help her family find temporary housing and assess the damage.
"I'm going to come to a war zone," Hafoka-Barreno said.
READ: Maui wildfires: Emergency services chief resigns as death toll rises to 111
Right now, she said her family is forced to jump from shelter to shelter. The tragedy has highlighted the strength of the Hawaiian people, according to Hafoka-Barreno.
But she said the recovery and rebuilding process will last into many years to come.
"This is not going to be a year or years. It's going to be like 10-plus years in order for our island to recover completely," Hafoka-Barreno said. "And even then, my generation and after, their generation will probably still be rebuilding Lahaina."
Recovery for Maui will take decades after a wildfire destroyed much of the island.
She said there have been frustrations from the community in Maui over recovery efforts.
"Not being able to get the help afterwards, on top of allowing certain things to continue to thrive and happen on a land and water that was still deemed, I would say, unsafe and our people would say unsafe, because we're still looking for people, yet we still had tourists swimming around, made us very angry," she said.
Hafoka-Barreno hopes the history and stories of her native island won’t be hauled away with the rubble.
Hafoka-Barreno hopes Maui's history and stories won’t be hauled away with the rubble.
In between photos of the destruction, she said she got a photo from her uncle, that took her breath away. As they were walking the streets that were destroyed, they found a small plant blossoming through the ashes.
"I dropped to the floor when I got this picture because it let me know that there's always hope after such tragic, such a death," she said. "And so, I want my people to know that there's hope."
She said this photo symbolizes the strength of her family.
Hafoka-Barreno says this photo from her uncle symbolizes the strength of her family.
She vows to continue to spread that strength and hope as she helps her community recover and rebuild.
"And I just want them to know that we are here. We're fighting, and at the end of the day, no matter what, they cannot take the most precious thing that we hold dear, and that is our Aloha spirit."
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.