{"id":2001410,"date":"2023-08-15T15:14:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T19:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flotilla-of-volunteers-step-up-to-deliver-vital-supplies-to-victims-of-maui-wildfires\/"},"modified":"2023-08-15T15:20:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T19:20:35","slug":"flotilla-of-volunteers-step-up-to-deliver-vital-supplies-to-victims-of-maui-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flotilla-of-volunteers-step-up-to-deliver-vital-supplies-to-victims-of-maui-wildfires\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteers rush to deliver crucial supplies to Maui wildfire victims."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflotilla-of-volunteers-step-up-to-deliver-vital-supplies-to-victims-of-maui-wildfires%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2001410&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Delivering Hope: Volunteers Unite to Aid Lahaina \u2064Wildfire\u2064 Survivors<\/h2>\n<p>LAHAINA, Maui\u2014Gone were the usual tourists and snorkel divers \u200cwaiting to board \u2062the\u2062 Lani \u2063Kai II, a 53-foot commercial boat moored at Slip 64 \u200cat Buzz&#8217;s Wharf on the tiny \u200bisland of Maui.<\/p>\n<p>On today&#8217;s mission, there would be no casual sight-seeing on deck, no carefree basking\u200b in the white-hot \u200bHawaiian\u200d sun on the \u2064way to resort\u200b paradise up\u200d the \u200bblue coastline in West Lahaina.<\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s mission was all about mercy and support for the \u200cdesperate survivors of last week&#8217;s Lahaina wildfire disaster that claimed \u200c99 lives, with more fatalities expected\u2062 to come.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related \u2062Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/they-were-alone-in-a-fight-to-survive-maui-residents-had-moments-to-make-life-or-death-choices-5466268\">They Were Alone in a Fight to Survive; Maui Residents \u200cHad Moments to Make Life-or-Death Choices<\/a> (8\/15\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/hawaii-works-to-identify-99-confirmed-dead-after-maui-wildfires-as-teams-intensify-search-5466558\">Hawaii Works to Identify \u200b99 Confirmed Dead \u200cAfter Maui Wildfires as Teams \u2063Intensify Search<\/a> (8\/15\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/ntd-good-morning-aug-15-georgia-grand-jury-indicts-former-president-trump-in-2020-election-case-hundreds-missing-in-maui-5465976\">NTD Good Morning (Aug. 15): Georgia Grand Jury \u2063Indicts\u2062 Former President Trump in 2020 Election Case; Hundreds Missing on \u2062Maui<\/a> (8\/15\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On this \u2064bright Saturday morning, on Aug. 12, the volunteer pickup trucks arrived almost nonstop to drop off piles of donated supplies for loading onto the\u2063 Lani \u2063Kai \u2064II.<\/p>\n<p>The word Lani Kai means &#8220;heavenly waters&#8221; in Hawaiian. But on today&#8217;s \u206420-mile voyage, the devastation in Lahaina would appear hellish miles offshore.<\/p>\n<p>The 15 volunteers who would make this \u200dmission possible were as diverse as \u2064they were ready to help: young and old, men and women, seasoned seafarers, \u200band everyday folk.<\/p>\n<p>Various media members were also on hand to\u200b lend a strong\u200d back \u200bin exchange for passage and a\u2064 rare\u200c chance to\u2064 witness community devotion to a\u2063 selfless cause helping others.<\/p>\n<p>The Lani Kai II was one of \u200bthe dozens of private vessels that joined\u2062 in\u2064 the volunteer relief effort since the \u200cdevastating Aug. 8\u200b fire, said lead captain Spencer Erwin, who goes by the \u200dinformal title &#8220;Captain Spence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Captain Spence \u2062said the sheer volume of donated items\u2062 pouring in \u200bfrom\u2063 the community has been\u200b overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>And to accommodate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/death-toll-after-powerful-rain-storm-grows-to-40-hundreds-of-rescue-workers-deployed\/\" title=\"40 dead, many rescue workers sent after strong rain storm.\">relief \u200ceffort<\/a>, \u200cthe \u200cLani Kai II corporate\u200d owner,\u200b Maui Snorkeling, raised $10,280 in\u200d donations\u200d to the Maui Food Bank to provide 40,000 meals.<\/p>\n<p>Maui\u200b Snorkeling spokesman Dave Oates said the company immediately suspended tours after a charity \u200btrip \u2063on Aug. 11 to\u2064 raise\u200d donations \u200dfor the relief effort.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our intent from the start was to charter an excursion \u2063with people who already\u2062 paid for the trip and \u2062donate 100 percent of the proceeds to \u200cthe Maui Food Bank,&#8221; Mr. Oates told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We also offered\u200c our vessel throughout the week\u200d to\u2062 authorities to \u2062deliver supplies and rescue people,\u200b but its design wasn&#8217;t \u2064appropriate for the task.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Oates said Maui Snorkeling used paid staff to help stock the incoming boats. \u200dThe company also donated supplies, trucked into Lahaina \u200dby employees\u200c when the roads opened.<\/p>\n<p>The ground rules for \u200dthe volunteers aboard the Lani Kai II \u200bon Aug. 12 were\u200d simple: work hard, work \u2062fast, and always \u200dkeep both feet on deck and a hand on\u2062 the rail while in transit.<\/p>\n<p>Like\u200d a machine, the volunteers worked eagerly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flotilla-of-volunteers-step-up-to-deliver-vital-supplies-to-victims-of-maui-wildfires\/\" title=\"Volunteers rush to deliver crucial supplies to Maui wildfire victims.\">grabbing heavy plastic bags filled<\/a> with supplies\u2014food, water, diapers,\u200d clothing, and other essentials\u2014off of trucks and \u200dthen passing them in fire brigade fashion \u200bonto the Lani\u2064 Lai II.<\/p>\n<p>Brent Iovino of Maui, originally\u2063 from\u200c Chicago, \u200cgave up\u2064 a \u200bday of base jumping \u200cto\u200d help in the effort since\u2064 there was no time for &#8220;selfish&#8221; pursuits while the need was \u200bso great in Lahaina.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is catastrophic. I think the first \u2063responders have done everything they could,&#8221; Mr. Iovino said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The key right now is\u2062 we need to get supplies and information to people on \u2062the west side&#8221; of \u200cLahaina. &#8220;It&#8217;s \u200damazing, but expected for this community. Anything that&#8217;s required, we step up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Around noon, \u2062the Lani Kai II was laden with\u200c supplies and \u2062ready to embark on the \u200dtwo-hour\u2062 journey and rendezvous with the Sea \u200dMaui, a 65-foot catamaran capable of \u200clanding on \u2063shore.<\/p>\n<p>The journey would take\u2063 the Lani Kai II past thousands of burned\u2062 acres in\u200b Lahaina, past the deserted \u200bhotels,\u2062 bars, and \u200brestaurants once\u2064 bustling with tourists, now eerie \u200band silent.<\/p>\n<p>In the distance, the Sea Maui was ready to\u2063 hook up with the Lani \u2063Kai II and receive its vital cargo. Volunteers would \u200cthen offload\u200d the \u200csupplies to other volunteers gathered on \u2062Kaanapali\u200d Beach in West \u2064Maui, a few miles north of\u200c Lahaina.<\/p>\n<h2>Many Boats, Much Work<\/h2>\n<p>Molly Gaughan, captain \u200cof the Sea Maui, said the company\u200d that owns the vessel permitted to use the boat &#8220;in any way we needed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The twin-pontoon catamaran can hold \u206249 passengers \u200dand &#8220;triple \u2062the amount&#8221; of goods from the Lani Kai II.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We still have the entire cabin going,&#8221; Captain Molly \u2063said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of small \u2063private boats. I&#8217;m\u200d not exactly sure of the number. All the big beach cats [catamarans] can\u200c get onto the beach.\u200d Everybody has been helping.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Captain Molly said the power outages and lack of cell phone and \u2062internet service make coordinating \u200drelief\u200c efforts &#8220;absolutely \u200ccrazy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a lot of word\u200b of \u200cmouth and coordinating with someone on the other side that\u2063 does have service. It&#8217;s all about perfect timing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We lost power before the fires even started.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She\u200c said the grim aftermath\u200c of the Lahaina wildfire is also not for the squeamish.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve\u2064 seen some stuff\u2014yeah,&#8221; Captain Molly said. &#8220;It&#8217;s terrible. You can&#8217;t unsee \u200cit. From\u2063 my understanding, there \u2063wasn&#8217;t enough warning. It \u2062was faster than people could get\u2063 out. It was \u200bterrible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t\u200c recommend it [seeing the carnage]. You can&#8217;t get into the town anymore. [The police] are arresting \u2062people now.\u200d They&#8217;re coming\u200c in and looting. They&#8217;re doing dumb stuff to put it\u200d on the \u2063internet.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everybody&#8217;s \u2064got \u2064more \u200bsecurity\u2014it&#8217;s scary. It&#8217;s scary times over\u2062 here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>With volunteers\u2063 working\u200d continuously for days,\u2064 Captain Molly said she is nearly exhausted, &#8220;but we&#8217;re here, and we&#8217;re helping.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t leave my people\u2014my \u2064community\u2014this place means so much to me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What about sleep?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, a few hours here and there in the night,&#8221; Captain Molly said, mindful of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-israeli-official-hamas-can-surrender-or-well-hunt-down-every-commander-every-post-until-we-win\/\" title=\"Top Israeli Official: Hamas Can Surrender, Or \u2018We\u2019ll Hunt Down Every Commander, Every Post, Until We Win\u2019\">mounting death toll<\/a> and growing\u2062 need for volunteers\u2062 and material assistance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s hard\u2062 to get any news. It&#8217;s going to take a while to rebuild our \u200dcity. We&#8217;ll see how \u2064long everybody can last until everybody has to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Finding enough fuel \u200cto power the\u200b flotilla remained challenging, with gasoline in short supply. Occasionally, a private boat would pass the Sea Maui, offering gas to continue its mission if needed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have no gas over here,&#8221;\u200d Captain Molly said. &#8220;There are cars on the side of the road with no gas. It&#8217;s craziness. But it looks like we need to get this party started.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Sea\u200d Maui slid onto\u200c the beach like a\u2064 canoe as volunteers onshore finished \u200boffloading supplies from a sister catamaran, Ocean Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s just spread this\u200c out\u2014we got this!&#8221; Captain Molly shouted.<\/p>\n<p>Hand over hand,\u200d the\u2064 precious cargo left the Sea Maui \u2062and\u2062 made its \u2064way up\u2064 the line \u200bof volunteers\u200b to a staging area. From there,\u200d volunteers loaded\u200c the supplies onto pickup trucks for distribution to \u2064shelters for displaced fire \u2063victims.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just the community getting \u200btogether,\u200b trying to make everything happen,&#8221; said Lani Kai II relief captain Larry Doty.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everybody is \u2062heartbroken. It&#8217;s a \u2064lot to lose. There&#8217;s a lot of people in need\u2014I know that.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LAHAINA, Maui\u2014No tourists or snorkelers were seen at Slip 64, Buzz&#8217;s Wharf, as the Lani Kai II, a 53-foot boat, prepared for a different mission. Today, there would be no leisurely sunbathing or sightseeing on deck as the boat set sail on Maui&#8217;s waters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":2001411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2001410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2001410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2001411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2001410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2001410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2001410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}