‘It is so slow,’ says Maui resident on recovery process after losing home in wildfires
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - It’s been nearly three months since the deadly Maui wildfires and some residents are just now being allowed to return to their properties.
Kim Brunstad, who lives in Las Vegas, traveled to Lahaina last week to be with her mom, Kim Nguyen, when she returned to her home.
“The house is total ashes, nothing there, nothing left anymore, it is too emotional and too stressful,” Nguyen said.
The only items that they were able to recover from her home were coins that she collected over the years and some jewelry.
“It’s the memories, she worked 30 years to buy this house, and it is just ashes now, nothing salvageable, just everything was burnt up,” Brunstad said.
Nguyen has been staying at a hotel since August through the American Red Cross, but the recovery process has been challenging.
“They are supposed to remove the debris, things like that, but I am not sure how long this process takes, with everything going kind of slow,” she said.
The August wildfires killed 99 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings. It’s unclear how long rebuilding could take.
Brunstad said many residents are now struggling to find permanent housing.
“If the state can help lower the cost of rent because people are still raising it up so ridiculously high that nobody can even afford it, so you are kicking them out of paradise,” she added.
Nguyen is back in Las Vegas with her daughter and is trying to figure out what’s next.
Join FOX5 as we return to Maui in a weeklong worth of special coverage focusing on recovery, donations that poured in and how the island is welcoming back tourists following the deadly wildfires.
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