A lot of people affected by the Maui Fires can use help right now, and they will continue to need assistance for a long time. If you were not directly affected by the Fires, you might help those that were affected along their journey to recovery.
For those affected by the fires, a frustrating part of the recovery process is finding solid and reliable information on what to do, where to go, or who to talk to. Often someone will wait in a long line, only to find out it is the wrong line, or find out that they don’t qualify, or that the provider closed 5 minutes before they reached the front. Survivors are often given general advice like “There are resources to help with housing,” which is not all that helpful. You can assist by telling a survivor “I already called these people, and they said if you call and say you lost your home in the fire, they are holding units for you. Call this number and ask for this person.”
Emotional Support:
The only people who really understand what it means to have been in the fires that day and what the recovery is like are the people going through it. But that does not mean there is nothing you can do to help. Navigating what to do and support others after a traumatic experience like the Maui Fire is difficult. You want to listen, but you don’t want to bring it up. You want to understand, but you can’t. You want to tell them what they can do to move forward, but it’s complicated. The best thing anyone who went through the Maui Fires can do is to talk to a professional. But if they can’t, then you might be able to help. If you know someone who is recovering from the fire, please listen to them. They might repeat themselves, or trail off, or just sit a minute while they relive the experience, but being there to listen to them and witness what they are going through helps.
Long term:
Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and recurring events are always hard after losing everything in a wildfire. The recovery process will take years. Reaching out to survivors, making sure they are seen, listening again, and encouraging them to seek professional help are all things that can and should be done on an ongoing basis. Check in on survivors in the days weeks before the anniversary of the fire. Maybe your friend used to host their family for Thanksgiving and now has to go elsewhere. Maybe they were really into Halloween decorations and will be said they need to buy new decorations and won’t have a place to decorate. On their late father’s birthday, they will be sad that their favorite picture of him is gone. They will be reminded of what they lost on most days for years. So be there, listen, make sure they know you are there to listen and support, and continue to meet people where they are in their recovery journey.
