As the search for more than 1,000 missing people continues on Maui, North Texans are among the army of volunteers rushing to help.
“It’s hard to describe because talking to a bunch of people who were able to survive and then seeing what happened to Lahaina, it’s pretty terrifying,” said Doyle Rader.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREAs a regional communications manager for the American Red Cross, Rader just returned home.
After coordinating with hundreds of volunteers from around the country to assist survivors across three emergency shelters, he says he’s still processing stories most would never dare to imagine.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP “I spoke with a couple who escaped into the water… They were just there, grabbing onto whatever they could. The husband, he said somehow they found a discarded carpet or rug and it was soaking wet, so they put it over their heads so the flames couldn’t get them while they were in the water,” said Rader. “His wife got separated at one point… a stranger pulled her out of the water when she thought she couldn’t keep going and helped save her life.”
Today, more than 2,200 homes and businesses have been counted as destroyed and at least 115 people killed.
Still, the toll rises.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The majority of streets in Lahaina remain closed as crews sift through ash to find the dead.
Rader says volunteers are facing logistical challenges bringing in supplies.
“It’s an island. It’s harder to get supplies out there more than a disaster say here in the continental United States because we can ship resources pretty quickly from state to state or city to city,” he said.
Still, the Red Cross is among those who’ve committed to be there for the long haul, manning reunification centers and feeding residents now sheltered in hotels.
Most recently, they’ve rolled out a program to provide immediate financial aid for those who’ve lost everything.
“It’s very empowering to know that work is happening, but just to know there’s still a lot of work to be done and the fact it’s not happening all at once, I know can be frustrating. But it is happening,” said Rader.
Those wishing to help can donate through redcross.org or by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
