As Lahaina continues long road to recovery, SBDR volunteers played a key role along the way

MAUI, Hawaii – Yasushi Nemoto pastors Kahului Union Church on Maui on the opposite side of the island from Lahaina. As the fires started burning on August 8, 2023, Nemoto and others in Kahului were not completely aware of what was going on that day.

Then, the sheer volume of smoke signaled the severity of the situation. Intense winds from a Pacific hurricane hundreds of miles south of Hawaii combined with a dry summer to generate a rapid fire.

“We could see the fire moving toward the south, kind of like paper burning from one side to the other—that fast,” said Nemoto. “We could feel that this wasn’t the brush fire we usually see. Brush fires are a daily story.”