Help Me Rebuild After the Hurricane

Aloha, Islanders.

This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to write.

For those who know me online, you know me as Kai / TheKainalu.. your friendly neighborhood husky boy who spends his time streaming games, screaming at horror games, making questionable decisions, and hanging out with all of you on The Island.

But behind the VTuber model, there's still a real person. And right now, my real life has been completely turned upside down.

The hurricane that hit Hawaiʻi caused severe damage to my home on the Big Island. I tried to save what I could, but eventually I had to evacuate. After seeing the extent of the damage and having someone come out to look at the house, the reality I'm facing is that repairing it may not be practical. I'm now looking at the possibility of having to tear down what's left and rebuild.

It's honestly still difficult for me to process that.

Home is supposed to be the place you can come back to when everything else gets overwhelming. Seeing mine like this and suddenly not knowing what comes next has left me feeling lost, scared, and unsure of where to even begin.

I'm starting this GoFundMe because rebuilding a home is something I simply can't afford to do on my own. Any money raised will go toward the costs of recovering from the hurricane.. including cleanup and removal of damaged materials, temporary living expenses, replacing necessities I've lost, and eventually helping us rebuild a safe place to call home again.

My family is also looking into what disaster assistance may be available for the home. Any funds raised here will go toward helping me recover, replace what was lost, and contribute toward getting us back into a safe home again.

Why aren't there photos of the house?

I know it's unusual for a disaster fundraiser not to include photos of the damage, so I want to be upfront about this.

Being a VTuber means I've made a conscious decision to keep my offline identity and exact location private. Sharing photos of my home, property, neighborhood, or identifying details could potentially reveal where I live.

For my own safety, I'm not comfortable putting that information publicly on the internet.

That doesn't make what happened behind the model any less real.

I'm still Kai. I'm still the husky you've watched scream at games, laugh with chat, and somehow get myself into chaos every stream.

I just happen to be going through something outside of stream that I never imagined I'd have to deal with.

If you've ever watched one of my streams, laughed at one of my clips, lurked in chat, shared my stuff, or simply been part of this little Island we've built together.. thank you. You've already given me more support than you probably realize.

If you're able to donate, even a small amount would mean the world to me. If you can't donate, sharing this fundraiser helps just as much. Please don't put yourself in a difficult position to help me.

Right now I'm taking things one day at a time and trying to figure out what rebuilding my life and my home is going to look like.

I don't know exactly how long that will take.

But I hope someday I can look back at this moment from a new home and say:

"We made it through."

Thank you for keeping me and my family in your thoughts, and thank you for helping this lost husky find his way home again.

- Kai / TheKainalu