Kathy Sicard

Hi, my name is Carol, and my sister is a survivor of the recent disaster in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Kathy is 62, a widow, and her residence went up in flames and lost everything. She is currently in an emergency shelter with many others. I humbly ask you to join me in the expense of rebuilding her life. She moved to Maui several years ago, after her husband passed away from cancer.

The photo posted was taken by Kathy as she drove to safety on Lahainaluna Road.

In Kathy's words:

"To better understand the situation, Hurricane Dora winds destroyed all communication capabilities. No electrical power, no cell phone service or internet service. 911 service did not work either. No one knew of any imminent danger. There were no active fires known prior to the hour of disaster. Hurricane-force winds blew fireballs everywhere igniting anything it landed on.

I was able to get out of the fire zone. My home like many others burned to the ground. My apartment complex had 5 deaths of residents that could not get out. We only had minutes to go.

Hurricane Dora must have liked my sunglasses as they flew off while I was going to my car. The flames were so hot that the door handle on the car burned my hand but not seriously. A lady ran up to me and asked if she could ride with me as she didn't have a car. I said yes, and we left together. I had to weave down different streets to find a path that was not blocked by debris. The only way out was Front Street. At the time I passed through Front Street, the fire was not there. It was destroyed 30 minutes later.

I wet some washcloths and put them over my nose and mouth so not to breathe the toxic fumes. I had put extra ones in my snack bag. As it worked out, I gave the extra ones to my passenger, Caroline because it was hard to breathe. We could not open the car windows because the smoke and fumes were worse outside than inside the car. I told her to be patient, and as soon as we were away from immediate danger, we can open the windows. It took about 20 minutes.

My residence was in the path of the fire. It started up the mountain and the wind blew the flames downward toward the ocean. Once I got to Olowalu, I knew we were safe.

I had planned to go out and watch the sunset that evening, so I packed some bottled water and some crackers. Little did I know that would be the only thing I grabbed leaving my house to get out of the fire zone and to safety.

In Hawaiian culture, it is believed that Goddess Pele reclaimed her land. Endings are new beginnings. I'm on another unplanned adventure.

Our greatest glory comes from our greatest pain."

~ End quote from Kathy

I am grateful Kathy survived and saved another lady's life, Caroline. I am in awe of her bravery and clear head to get out of harm's way. Prayers go out to all that experienced and dealing with the aftermath of this disaster.

Kathy lives alone and she will use the funds to rebuild her life. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity and compassion. I live on the mainland and this is the most efficient way to help a sister in need.

With much gratitude,

Carol