A Jefferson resident shares her unique perspective when she was in Maui during one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaii’s history.

Zandra Maldonado (mall-dough-nah-dough) grew up on the island of Maui, in the town of Pukalani. In 2010, she married her husband and moved to Iowa, and she has been teaching at Paton-Churdan for two years. Maldonado tells Raccoon Valley Radio she goes back to Maui every summer to visit family and this year was especially tough having to bury her mother. However, nearing the end of her family’s 41 day trip, she says it took a devastating turn for the worst.

When the wildfires were first reported, Maldonado says they lost power at her aunt’s house, where her family were staying in Kula. She explains that she didn’t think anything of it because wildfires were frequent in Kula, but she took the situation more seriously on a drive back from a Walmart where she was getting supplies. 

“The road that I usually veer and turn into was closed because there was fire all on the right hand side, and we were watching this fire. When we got to my auntie’s house we walked out to the balcony and we were watching the fire south of us just kind of sweep towards (another town called) Kihei. It was moving, it was a huge fire.”    

Maldonado points out they didn’t have to be evacuated from her aunt’s house, but other people she knew in Lahaina were not so lucky.

“My cousin reached out to me, she said she’s devastated, ‘Lahaina’s gone.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean like Lahaina’s gone?’ And she was like, ‘Front Street is gone.’ And I literally cried because it was such a big part of my life, I have so much memories, I’m sorry (takes pause) I have so much memories of that place. It’s like my second home (where my grandparents lived), I was literally with them in the summer, in spring breaks, during Christmas breaks. I was with my cousins growing up and that was like a second home to me and it was gone.”

Maldonado shares a small silver lining among the dark scenes that she witnessed from the fires.

“I’m really grateful for my family. I mean the only thing they lost were possessions. Most of those things can be brought back. Of course like the relics and sentimental things, (and) pictures, no. But they’re here and I’m grateful.”       

Maldonado is proud of the immediate response by the Hawaiian people following the wildfires for setting up makeshift areas with donations of water, food, and other supplies. She encourages anyone who wants to donate and help support those in Maui can do so with three organizations that are listed below. There is an additional benefit for Lahaina happening in Des Moines in October where Maldonado will be sharing her story and singing, that information can also be found below.

Special October benefit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1091332658498527/?ti=ls

Maui united way: https://mauiunitedway.org/

Maui Economic Opportunities: https://www.meoinc.org/

Hawaii Community Foundation: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/