Tri-State Area residents, some with ties to Hawaii, ready to head to the wildfire-decimated islands to help
NEW YORK -- People all across the country are stepping up to help those in Maui. That includes right here in the Tri-State Area, where some volunteers have already traveled to Hawaii to assist in any way they can.
CBS New York has learned more about the local relief efforts. On Sunday, we spoke with a man on Long Island who lost his home there and another woman from Maui who flew to New Jersey this weekend with nothing but the clothes on her back.
READ MORE: How did the Maui fire start? What we know about the cause of the Lahaina blaze
There were blue skies over the rubble of Lahaina, where Ash De-Luia's home had been since 2020.
"I had one week left of work. I planned to move and I had all my stuff ready and then everything just went wrong," De-Luia said. "We had no warning of the fire. There were no sirens, no emergency signal. It's like a bomb went off."
The waitress moved back to the New York City area a week earlier than planned, but is now left relying on friends.
"I have no money. Everything burned in the fire. So I'm only able to get bare essentials," De-Luia said.
That helplessness is also felt by Lahaina resident Michael O'Connell, who had been staying with family in the Long Island town of Merrick while he gets cancer treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
"My roommates had to run for their lives, too. Nobody told anyone to evacuate," O'Connell said.
While it's unclear what will happen to his insurance since his workplace went up in flames, he's still raising money for others, creating and selling "Lahaina Strong" shirts.
"Some of me feels guilty that I'm not there, like I could have helped more," O'Connell said.
READ MORE: How to help those affected by the Maui wildfires
Andrea Webb just landed in Hawaii to help with shelter and outreach. The East Windsor resident is with the American Red Cross of New Jersey.
"They've lost everything. They need some kind of help with anything even if it's a hug, a kind word," Webb said.
Packing on Sunday was social worker Barbara Downey of Garrison in Putnam County. She said her family has been affected by fire and she wants to help.
"To listen ... to listen to people who tell their stories about how they got away and family that did not get away," Downey said.
READ MORE: Map, satellite images show where Hawaii fires burned throughout Lahaina, Maui
It's not just the financial toll but also the emotional toll that will stick with them forever.
"Just been humiliating. It has been really hard," De Luia said. "It's heartbreak and a lot of us like me, we don't know what to do."
Survivors like De-Luia told CBS New York there is no time to wait for government funding, so for now they are relying on donations. Some of the volunteers are ready to be there for two to three weeks.
