Lahaina, HI families

Hello all. It’s Kent and I wish I was writing to you guys, old friends and family, to say hi. It is with a heavy heart that I am reaching out to you guys. I have lived in Lahaina, HI for a few years now. It is my home. I realize many of you don’t know that. It is my fault. I am not a social media guy, but in this instance, it has to be used as a tool to help.

Our town is decimated. Nothing remains. It is flat. You guys probably have been watching the news. It’s worse than they can show. Without going into too much detail, our Hawaiian friends lost literally everything. Their housing, clothes, wallets, licenses, pictures, important documents, some of them have tragically lost family members and friends. The fire moved so fast. Hurricane winds moving at upwards of 80mph spread the fire through Lahaina town so quickly that it was impossible to escape. It could not be outrun. Many of their family members are lost. Succumbed to the flames in the rubble or in their cars trying to flee. It is an absolute nightmare. There are still over a thousand family members unaccounted for.

I am writing for help. There are a handful of families in particular who have become part of our ohana. They are multi-generational Hawaiians, that have helped so many, opened their hearts and homes. They are the embodiment of aloha. And they are among those who have lost everything.

I realize that FEMA and the Red Cross are going to help, but those wheels can turn very slowly. I also own a home in New Orleans and I can tell you, I have friends there that still have no insurance help from last year's hurricane. There are even some people who are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, which happened almost 20 years ago. I don’t want that to happen to these wonderful people.

I am asking you, friends and family, to trust me. I want to help these ohana rebuild their lives. I want these ohana to have their homes back. I don’t want their land ripped from them and sold to investors. I am opening a GOFUNDME with this link. I will help keep them housed as we rebuild. They need everything.

My wife and I will help with the FEMA paperwork and help them navigate their insurance claims, if they have insurance. Every penny of the money raised will be given directly to them. I give you my word. Helping two ohana may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to all the ohana that need help. Please listen. These are people known by all locals. If they can start to rebuild, everyone will have hope. The community will see them and know that we can rebuild Lahaina.

My hope is that all local ohana can rebuild their community and keep with their traditions and culture.

Love, Kent