Lost my home and belongings in Lahaina, Maui fire

Aloha! My name is Sabrina from Maui and I never thought I would do a Go Fund me. I pride myself as a fiercely independent person and to ask for help is incredibly hard for me. But I have found myself in a real tough situation I never thought I’d face.

My home burnt completely to the ground, along with some of my most cherished items that can never be replaced. One of my places of employment of almost 7 years also burnt to the ground. The owner of that spa lost everything too. I am deeply traumatized. It took me a bit to admit I have PTSD. It’s affecting my sleep and I have almost non stop day nightmares of what I saw and heard. I can still see the color of the flames and smoke off in the distance getting closer and closer. The sounds of car’s gas tanks and propane tanks frequently exploding which sound like bombs. I felt like I was in the middle of a war zone. Mix that in with incredibly high wind gusts beating debris against my home. I was waiting for the glass to break throughout the day. Hurricane Dora had increased in size to a category 4. We were not be prepared for the outer hurricane bands hitting Maui. Countless downed power lines and water spouts. I would frequently check on my car and felt I was at serious risk for being impaled by flying debris. All kinds of pieces of trees and shingles were hitting my car which now has some damage. With no power for 24 hours, just three burning candles at night were my only comfort. Yet the same element of fire was outside destroying countless lives in every way possible.

I carry non stop guilt of not taking more of my things. And leaving them behind will haunt me forever. I had the time to get everything out too. I honestly thought the fire department would put out the fire. We had NO emergency sirens or emergency warning texts. I just happened to be outside and saw the massive plume of black smoke nearby

My income is basically gone. I’m having serious issues with trying to get FEMA because the people I rented from are already claiming that address. I even tried different variations like “unit 2” and there is a roadblock. I also foolishly never had renters insurance. And I don’t know how much it would have helped.

I’m not sure what is the next step. There is a strong chance I will have to leave Maui and ship my car to the mainland. I am grateful for any and all help.

With oceans of aloha,

Sabrina