United States - August 08, 2024

Many families on the Hawaiian island of Maui are still dependent on donations to meet their basic needs such as food and medicine, one year after the devastating wildfires claimed over 100 lives.

The fires, which broke out on Aug 8 last year, destroyed more than 2,200 buildings and caused damages of about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars.

On Maui, the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina was burned to the ground. The governor of Hawaii on Friday announced a 4-billion-U.S. dollar settlement to resolve lawsuits stemming from the deadly wildfires.

Just a stone's throw away from Maui's luxury resorts, a small park became a community donation hub exactly one year ago when the nearby town of Lahaina was wiped out by the fires.

With donations pouring in from the community, their operations grew by the day, eventually renting a refrigerator truck for perishable items such as fresh bread, milk and eggs. They have been offering fresh meals to displaced families who receive temporary housing assistance nearby.

The families rely heavily on community donations. One of the organizers, Chris Espiritu, had to rent out his equipment to create more space for the donations. And expenses are piling up, with the tents they put up one year ago now falling apart.

Many families say they haven't received the support that was promised to them by aid groups and national agencies, and these community efforts continue to be their main lifeline.

The exact cause of the fires still remains under investigation.

Shotlist:
Maui, Hawaii, USA - Aug 8, 2024: 1. Aerial shot of Lahaina;
2. Beach view, community donation hub at park;
3. Tents;
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kanamu Balinbin, crew leader, Community Donation Hub at Pohaku Park:
"Within two hours, people were driving by, we had boats coming in, and delivering supplies here. So we've been here since day one of the fire, providing household necessities, medical help, hot foods.";
5. Various of Balinbin getting on refrigerator truck for perishable items;
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kanamu Balinbin, crew leader, Community Donation Hub at Pohaku Park:
"We have fresh bread, milk, eggs.";
7. Volunteers preparing meals for displaced families;
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kanamu Balinbin, crew leader, Community Donation Hub at Pohaku Park:
"All these surrounding hotels have fire victims in them. All of these right here. So I'd say, you have about 2,500 people in this area that need help on a daily basis. So we we try to provide as much as we can.";
9. Various of tents, sign reading:"Volunteers and deliveries only";
10. Various of Chris Espiritu, donation organizer, driving equipment;
11. Various of tents, items at hub;
12. Hawaii flag;
13. Various of volunteer doing dishes;
14. Sign reading (English) "Lahaina Strong".

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