My name is Ashley and I was born and raised in Waialua. My 'ohana and I—my husband and our four kids, ages 18, 15, 14, and 10—lost our home in a flash flood. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by the sound of water rushing through our house. There was no warning or alert. We had to swim to safety, and along the way, we rescued our neighbor and her two babies who had no idea what was happening. It was terrifying, but I am grateful that we all made it out alive.

Now, our house is completely gone. We are staying at different places, trying to keep our family together while we figure out what comes next. We lost everything—our home, our belongings, and our sense of security. Our top priority is finding a safe place to stay and starting to rebuild our lives from scratch. Every day is a challenge, but I am doing everything I can to keep my kids safe and hopeful.

Mahalo for your support. Your generosity will help us find a new place to live, replace the essentials we lost, and keep our family together and safe. Any help you can give means the world to us as we begin this long journey to recovery.