How you can help Hawaii

As efforts continue to locate and identify victims of the devastating wildfires on the island of Maui, Hawaii, the death toll stands at more than 111, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told national media outlets.

The disaster is considered the deadliest U.S wildfire in more than a century as more than 2,200 structures were also destroyed on the garden isle, with 86 percent being residential homes officials say.

One of the many residents severely affected by the fires, actually has ties to the Pahrump Valley.

Forced to flee

Shelley Hee, whose home and possessions were all lost in the firestorm, is the cousin of former longtime Pahrump Valley Times sports reporter Vern Hee, who said Shelley, nearing retirement age, was forced to evacuate her home, as the 1,000 degree flames approached.

“My cousin is a beautiful lady who has worked in the hotel industry as a controller for most of her life,” Hee told the Pahrump Valley Times. “She has lived in Lahaina for over 25 years. She is a renter and lost everything.”

GoFundMe

As a result of her present situation, Shelley is now living with a friend in Napilia Kai, near the Napilia Kai Beach Resort.

While Vern has established a GoFundMe account for his displaced cousin, Shelley said that she would prefer people to donate to her house of worship, the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, located in downtown Lahaina.

Miraculously, the church survived the fire, but their school was damaged.

“I don’t need anything because there are people who suffered far more than me,” Shelley said. “Please donate to my church, where many other people also lost everything.”

Vern said Shelley would never ask people to donate to herself.

“She is too humble of a person who is always thinking of others,” he said. “Shelley has been living in Lahaina for over two decades and she has been a renter. She has no insurance and she just needs a little money to start her life over. The house she was renting will not be rebuilt for awhile. Shelley is the kind of lady who collected food for the church. She never really thinks about herself and is always putting her church and others first. All of the money collected will be delivered to her so she can start her life over. I just want to help my cousin get back on her feet.”

Local fire chief’s assessment

Though the distance from Pahrump to Lahaina is 2,658 miles, the Pahrump Valley Times sought comment from Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Lewis, who provided a few interesting parallels between the Pacific island and the desert Southwest, in terms of seeking safety from an out-of-control wildfire.

Some Maui residents fled to the ocean in order to escape certain death.

“It was a last-ditch effort that saved some of the people there because the fire was located on an island with a body of water surrounding it, while we’re a geographical island with a land mass around us.”

Lewis went on to say that if there are no other options available, people need to do whatever they can to save their lives.

“You may not have another option, so most people jumped into the ocean to escape,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t have that opportunity here. You technically would have great difficulty trying to outrun a wildland fire event.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes