Augustans come together to help Hawaiian wildfire victims

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - With the wildfire toll continuing to rise in Hawaii, some local residents are helping in big ways.

This is the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii since it became a state back in 1959.

As firefighters work to contain the flames, many Augustans and Americans, are offering moral , or trying to figure out how they send help.

This is personal for many employees at Hawaiian Style BBQ.

Many either grew up in Hawaii, or still have family there.

That’s why the restaurant started raising money for the victims in Maui four days ago.

Hawaiian Style BBQ committed to donating all proceeds from t-shirt sales to help those affected by the fires.

So far they say they’ve raised more than $2,000 to help the victims.

While the general manager of the restaurant isn’t from Hawaii, he knows a lot of his employees are.

So he thinks it’s important to this cause.

Matthew Miskelly, general manager of Hawaiian Style BBQ, says, “Those are my sisters. So we work together, you know, those are, that’s my family here. So any ties to Hawaii, I don’t have any, you know, I’ve built relationships with people that have started the restaurant here and I’ve gotten to know them.”

Right now, staff at Hawaiian Style BBQ say they are looking at more ways to help those in Maui.

We have info listed on how you can donate money towards Hawaii, since it’s one of the easiest ways to help out.

The victims are on the mind of local residents.

People gathered in front of the Hawaiian Style BBQ restaurant Friday morning for a moment of silence.

In the circle, were people with direct ties to the fires, standing strong together.

“Sometimes we have no words with anything this tragic happening,” said Erica Showers, assistant manager at the Hawaiian restaurant. “So, sometimes we just have to take a moment of silence.”

Showers gave a brief message before the moment of silence.

“I just said ‘Aloha Kakou’ – it’s the breath of life. We prayed that we would be able to channel that over there for those that we don’t know where they are, for those grieving or going through it right now,” said Showers.

They’ve been paying close attention to what’s happening to a place they call home – a place on the island of Maui that’s been reduced to ashes.

Megan Shambaugh has family on Maui. She went to school in Lahania. She says it’s a place she’ll always hold close to her heart. Moving forward, she knows Maui will rise above this.

“The culture is not going to die. Culture didn’t go up in flames. So unite, be together. You know even from a distance we’re with you,” said Shambaugh.

Showers’ sister is on Maui right now. Yesterday, they were able to talk over the phone.

“It was amazing. It was amazing,” said Showers. “She was like just trying to help people already. So I’m like, Okay, you’re good.”

Showers’ sister tells her transportation on the island is hard with limited gas and closed roads. Food supplies are also low. The business now looks to raise funds for those to get back on their feet.

The Hawaiian restaurant, with locations at 1719 Gordon Highway and 2801 Washington Road, is raising money to help. By buying an “Aloha, y’all“ T-shirt for $25, you’ll be sending money to assist the devastated island of Maui.

After a day and a half, the restaurant had raised $500 by Friday afternoon.

T-SHIRT PHOTO GALLERY:

You can also make cash donations at the restaurant, which is serving as a safe haven for people from Hawaii who need a place to talk about the loss.

Some of the employees have been touched by the fires, even all this distance away.

“It’s just completely heartbreaking,” said Assistant Manager Erica Showers, who is Hawaii-born and raised on Oahu, with family and friends on Maui.

She said she was emotionally in shock at first when she learned of the fires.

“Then I went through waves of like, you know, not knowing because I can’t reach the people, my loved ones and friends,” she said.

Then she reached a sense of calm.

“I can’t freak out about it,” she said. “I need to just reach out.”

She said she wants to do as much as she can from this far away, including bringing in donations or offering information for people who don’t know what to do, or how to go about locating people.

She wants to help not only the locals of Hawaii, “but when people are there on vacation, they really don’t know what to do. So all of those sources can help, as well.”

The wildfires – whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora ing far to the south – took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once-busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood.

“It’s an emotional roller-coaster, especially being so far away,” Showers said.

“The before and after pictures are – they’re unreal,” Showers said. “They’re completely unreal.”

She described seeing aerial photos first showing everything was fine.

Then two hours later: “There’s nothing as skeletal structures and just nothing and people wandering not knowing what to do.”

Perhaps it’s the price of paradise.

“You take that risk of living in a beautiful place, like Hawaii as far as paradise, like, we know like all the natural disasters that are going to happen,” she said. “You just never know when you can’t predict anything at all. So, one brush fire and then a hurricane. And half of the island wiped out. It’s just insane.”

Red Cross offers assistance

Susan Everitt, executive director of the East Central Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross, said the international aid organization has shelters open in Hawaii and Red Crossers are being deployed from all across the country.

Although she doesn’t know of any Augustans who’ve been sent, it could be a matter of time because of the scale of devastation.

HAWAII PHOTO GALLERY:

She said that as always, the most effective way to donate through the Red Cross is online at www.redcross.org/donate for disaster relief or at redcross.org/Hawaii to donate directly to the Red Cross in Hawaii.

“Because it is not an effective use of funds to pay to transport and ship donated material items such as water or clothing, making a financial donation allows the people affected to receive the most benefit from a donation,” she said.

The donated dollars can cover things as shelters, food, medical help and also direct financial aid.

Over 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to providing programs and services in the community, she said.

If someone would like to drop off a check at the local office, Everitt said it would be processed for Hawaii relief. The office is 1322 Ellis St. in Augusta.

You can use the mail slot in the front door.

More ways to help

• Hawaii Salvation Army is asking for monetary donations. All money donated for disaster relief will go to disaster operations. Donate online at Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org.
• ‘Āina Momona is a fundraiser through the Hawaii Community Foundation. For details, click here.
• The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Alakaina Foundation Family, and Kakoo Haleakala will match up to $100,000 in donations for Kakoo Maui. Funds will go to families and businesses. You can donate here.
• Aloha United Way has created the Maui Relief Fund that will go directly to efforts ing victims of the fires. You can donate here.
• The Maui Food Bank is seeking monetary donations in efforts to feed thousands of displaced residents. Donations can be made here.
• Maui Mutual Aid is seeking donations to Maui families, kupuna, people with disabilities, and those with limited or no insurance. Donations can be made here.
• Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund will be used to Maui communities affected by recent fires, including response and recovery efforts. Donations can be made on their website.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.