As Maui wildfire survivors struggle to get aid, community comes together

there are tough weather conditions making recovery efforts more difficult on Maui the forecast includes wind gusts up to 75 miles an hour which could affect power lines and Rain which could complicate the search for victims Lilia Luciano is in Kula where locals battled a different Wildfire Lilia good morning good morning Dana and on that look we were here yesterday in the morning and throughout the day and now suddenly we're taken aback by the smell of wildfire smoke it's a reminder that these fires are still a threat to the land as people are just starting to make sense of everything that they've lost right in the frontier was the dining room sweetheart Mori lost her home in the wildfire that ravaged Kula this is All That Remains we fortunately got out alive you know in the before the fire came to her granddaughter Amaya the loss is far greater than the structure I grew up here half my life and I spent all my Summers up here at my grandma's house and we just had so many memories up here one week after a measurable loss Mori says Aid is still scarce what kind of assistance have you received FEMA gave 700 and that's it what would you like for people to understand about those 700 the 700 one-time payment for critical needs is only a fraction of the FEMA assistance that may be available FEMA has deployed at least 380 Specialists to Maui so far the agency said it has made payments totaling almost 2 million dollars to about 1200 survivors it's important to keep in mind FEMA is not in charge the state is in charge and of course Maui county has incredible influence on what the state is going to request of FEMA Hawaii is a very particular different state it's it's not part of the quote unquote land what challenges are specific to this catastrophe because of that we are very mindful of local history and local traditions we don't just go into a neighborhood without consulting with Maui County officials that's why we began in the shelters and we're talking with Maui County about going into other neighborhoods where FEMA teams can be most effective in terms of one-on-one Outreach many are grateful for the help of the community relying on a mantra of kindness and Open Arms these four women lost everything in Lahaina their belongings burned to Ash to complete strangers Kylie dindinger and Ray mcgorry took them in expanding their unit from two to six now you have a you have a family they are my family right now Kylie and Ray how long do you suspect they will continue to live with you oh as long as they want that a FEMA spokesperson told us that they are planning to open up a center for one-on-one assistance for people applying for disaster Aid and President Biden who's been criticized for the pace of the federal response and also for not talking about what happened here for a few days says that he will come to Maui as soon as he can and that he's been in touch with the governor Nate Lilia thank you for highlighting those people there's so many Local Heroes that are volunteering and opening up their doors we appreciate you check back in with you later

Channel: CBS Mornings

Views: 24,994

Keywords: video, cbs, news

Id: 02l-FW-eYfA

Length: 3min 25sec (205 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 16 2023