‘A lot worse’: Winnipeg local recounts scenes of destruction from Maui wildfires – Winnipeg | 24CA News
As the fires in Maui wind down, a Winnipeg lady is coming to phrases with the destruction left round her.
Tess Lemon has referred to as the island dwelling for the previous few years. Originally from Winnipeg, she presently stays secure after spending time vacationing on the island.
This comes within the aftermath of wildfires on the Hawaiian island that struck the city of Lahaina on Aug. 9. The fires have thus far killed over 50 folks, with native officers saying that the quantity might effectively go up.
“As (soon) as I found out about the news…. people were losing everything they ever had,” mentioned Lemon. She is presently within the Haiku space, on the northern finish of the island, out of what she mentioned was the impression zone.
“I woke up that morning (with) messages from people. I was safe but many were not spared,” mentioned Lemon. “They have no belongings, no personal items anymore, and their homes are gone.”
According to the Winnipegger, a few of her pals are solely simply studying how a lot they’ve misplaced. She’s heard from pals who’d escaped a blaze sweeping via Lahaina. Pets and animals, she famous, have additionally been affected with many displaced.
Back dwelling in Winnipeg, Lemon’s buddy Tyler Mitchell mentioned he checked in as quickly as he heard the news. His personal cousin, additionally vacationing, is on the brink of head dwelling.
“Knowing that I have people in my life that are there. It went from a very happy Instagram feed of ‘we’re having a great time on this beautiful tropical island’ to ‘OK, this is chaos,’” mentioned Mitchell.
“Knowing people there, obviously my first thought was to check in and make sure that everything was okay.”
Before the fires started, the U.S. National Weather Service had issued a number of warnings for prime winds and dry climate.
According to Lemon, the belief of loss and grief appears to have simply hit folks. Even those that weren’t affected, she mentioned, had been mourning the lack of family and friends, belongings and land, and the historical past of the world.
She mentioned she’s bracing herself for extra unhealthy news. She is, additionally, comforted by the help she and everybody on the island have obtained.
“I think it’s going to be a lot worse than what we already think it is, which is the scary part,” mentioned Lemon.
“Everybody is rallying together on island to try and provide these essential items for people who desperately need them.”
— with information from Global’s Rosanna Hempel.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
