‘It’s just too much’: Chicago-area families, volunteers rally to help Maui wildfire survivors
On the morning of Aug. 8, Susan Burch was at her Lahaina home playing games with neighbors to celebrate her 62nd birthday when a friend frantically knocked on her door, saying her house was on fire. Within 10 minutes, fire erupted across the street from her.
“There was a Salvation Army that went into flames and we literally had five minutes to run into our houses and get whatever we could and get in the car,” Burch said. Originally from Mundelein, Burch has lived in Lahaina, Hawaii, for 19 years, working in an art gallery and as a bartender.
Burch was able to grab her 17-year-old cat Sidney and a couple of clothing items before leaving the historic town on the island of Maui. She slept in a car with her friend for a few days before resting in the home of people she had met just three days prior.
Burch is now scheduled to fly back to Mundelein on Tuesday to mourn her brother, who died last week, unrelated to the fire. But she’s also returning to her hometown to rebuild her life. She hopes she’s allowed to bring her cat on the plane.
“I haven’t even allowed myself to cry because it’s just too much,” she said. “I think I’m just going to need to get home and start thinking about things, but literally everything I own is burned, so I’m going to be starting over.”
Burch was one of thousands of people who lost their homes in the fires that engulfed Maui last week. More than 2,700 buildings in Lahaina were destroyed, wiping out $5.6 billion in value. The confirmed death toll rose to 96 early Monday, and is expected to increase as searches continue. The flames on Maui quickly spread through dry brush covering the island during a dry summer, pushed by strong winds from a passing hurricane.
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, it’s already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Chicago-area residents are springing into action to help family, friends and residents affected by the blaze, while volunteer organizations rally donations.
Burch’s sister, Janet Spangle, started a GoFundMe for her last week, raising more than $6,700, as of Monday afternoon. Spangle, 59, of Mundelein, said she found out about the fire on the news.
“We’re just really, really lucky and grateful that my sister is alive and there’s been some very generous people with the GoFundMe page,” she said. “That’s definitely going to help her reestablish herself and restock her clothes and everything she needs and hopefully help her with a down payment on getting a car.”
Burch said that while Lahaina, a town of 13,000 people, will never be the same, she hopes its culture is preserved. Others have expressed worries that the town will lose its historic charm and be rebuilt as a tourist destination packed with luxury housing, pushing out Native Hawaiians and other low-income people.
Burch said she believes a lot of her friends are alive, but some are still missing. She asked people to pray for the people of Lahaina and donate to rescue efforts if they can.
Randall Fassbinder, 37, of Avondale, started a GoFundMe to support his family members in Lahaina. It had raised more than $11,700 as of Monday afternoon.
“For a while, nobody had service. And I was talking to my brother-in-law the other day, like Saturday morning, and talking about what was going on, and he was driving around helping people,” Fassbinder said.
Fassbinder said his sister-in-law just had a baby, Oliver, who is 3 weeks old, and she’s looking for somewhere to stay permanently. He said she grew up in Lahaina and that the whole family worked in the tourism industry. He called the donations “heartwarming.”
Hawaii officials said the best way to help wildfire victims is through monetary donations to relief organizations, such as the Maui Strong Fund, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. Because there isn’t a reliable distribution system in place yet, officials are asking people to hold off on donating physical items.
Brian Duewel, the communications director for the Salvation Army’s North and Central Illinois Division, confirmed that three Salvation Army facilities were destroyed by the wildfires. He said the organization is “heartbroken about how this tragedy has affected the residents of Hawaii.”
He said the nonprofit is serving meals and providing emotional and spiritual care to evacuees at three shelters in Maui. He said people can also donate by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or texting FireRelief to 51555.
Joy Squier, the communications director for the American Red Cross’ Illinois region, said more than 250 Red Cross disaster workers were sent to help. She said the Illinois Red Cross started sending volunteers on Friday, and so far six people from Illinois have volunteered to travel to Hawaii to assist those affected by the wildfires.
She said people can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or text the word HAWAII to 90999 to make a $10 donation. She said $5 can provide a blanket and $10 can provide a meal.
“Recovering from a wildfire of this magnitude will take time and the full community coming together to support one another,” Squier said. “Since the fires began, the Red Cross and partners have provided more than 3,600 overnight shelter stays for people seeking refuge in 11 emergency shelters.”
Paul Bamman, 67, of Frankfort, is one of the volunteers who has flown out to help. Talking with the Tribune Monday afternoon from the Honolulu airport, he said he was preparing to catch a flight to Maui in a couple of hours. The veteran Red Cross volunteer flew Friday morning from Chicago and stayed in Honolulu for three nights, waiting for the Red Cross to secure a place for him to sleep in Maui.
Hawaii officials are urging tourists to avoid traveling to Maui, as many hotels prepare to house evacuees and first responders.
Bamman said he saw reports of the fires on the news Thursday morning and decided to help. Bamman has volunteered with the Red Cross since 2018 and estimates he’s been on about 13 deployments, including helping with flooding in eastern Kentucky last year.
“Natural disasters seem to be occurring more and more often, and they seem to be more severe. Our ranks are somewhat depleted. We’re still recovering from COVID restrictions, so we need more volunteers that are willing to do stuff,” Bamman said. “You can volunteer and stay right there in Chicago and do virtual work for us.”
Bamman said he’s been assigned to the logistics team, meaning he’ll help shelters to secure snacks, bedding, toilet paper and other supplies. He expects to be in Hawaii for three weeks or potentially longer, depending on how much help is needed.
“Don’t forget about the needs of the people,” he said. “The people that lived through this — they’re really shook up in some cases. They’re going to need mental health counseling. They’re going to need a place to stay. Their whole world has been upset.”
