Red Cross volunteers head to Maui to help those impacted by wildfires

Head of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency resigns

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Volunteers from around the country have headed to Maui to help those been devastated by the wildfires there.

The Red Cross sent photos of some of the people they have been assisting, along with their harrowing stories.

Among them were Arthur and Tara Valencia and their three children – Maele, Gabriel, and Mia. The Valencias lived in Lahaina, and loaded up their dog, Coco; their parakeet, Snowflake; and all their belongings when the ash and soot from the wildfires started covering everything nearby.

August 14, 2023. Wailuku, Hawaii: Arthur Valencia, his wife, Tara, and their three children, Maele, Gabriel and Mia speak with American Red Cross staff members Doyle Rader, Shari Frank and Ned Worman at the Red Cross shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku on Maui. Scott Dalton/American Red Cross
August 14, 2023. Wailuku, Hawaii: Tara Valencia and her three children, Maele, Gabriel and Mia speak with American Red Cross staff members Doyle Rader and Shari Frank at the Red Cross shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku on Maui. Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

"I could feel the fire," Tara Valencia told the Red Cross. "I could feel the heat from it. So, I went and got my bag, my Bible, the water, the dog and then we got in the car. It was so hard to get in the car. The wind was blowing so hard. It was like 80 miles per hour. … It was like we were in a tornado. It was smokey and scary."

Tara Valencia said black smoke filled the air as the family drove through Lahaina.

"I said, just keep going. Let's see if we can get through it," she told the Red Cross. "I was so scared. I was like, 'Babe, if the fire comes, we're jumping out. We're not staying in this car and dying.'"

The family escaped, and lived out of their car for a few days before coming to the Red Cros shelter at the War Memorial Stadium Complex.

The Red Cross also assisted Loc Tran and his wife, Thao, who escaped the fire by climbing into the ocean. While he was separated from his wife, Tran used a discarded carpet to keep the flames at bay.

August 15, 2023. Wailuku, Hawaii: War Memorial Gymnasium shelter resident Loc Tran tells Red Crossers Larry Dolan and Doyle Rader his harrowing story of survival during the wildfire that consumed historic Lahaina. Scott Dalton/American Red Cross
August 15, 2023. Wailuku, Hawaii: War Memorial Gymnasium shelter resident Loc Tran demonstrates to Red Crosser Doyle Rader how draping a discarded, soaking-wet carpet over himself and others helped those who climbed into the water survive the deadly wildfire that swept through the historic town of Lahaina on Maui. Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

The death toll in the Maui wildfires reached 111 Wednesday — and was expected to rise considerably — as many desperate residents searched for missing family members in the wreckage of the fire that decimated an estimated 80% of the historic town of Lahaina.  

August 14, 2023. Wailuku, Hawaii: American Red Cross shelter volunteer Ned Worman embraces Edwin Heilscher as his wife, Ratna, looks on. Edwin and Ratna are two of the dozens of Lahaina residents who found refuge at the Red Cross shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku on Maui after the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over 100 years destroyed their historic community.  Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub told reporters Wednesday that the number of people unaccounted for is estimated to be between 1,100 and 1,300. People across the Hawaiian island have been asked to provide DNA samples in an effort to identify human remains.

The Red Cross has set up a dedicated site where CBS 2 viewers can give to those in need in Maui. The site is www.redcross.org/cbs2.

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