Phoenix Red Cross volunteers head to Maui to aid in wildfire recovery
PHOENIX - The American Red Cross is sending volunteers to help out in Maui as deadly wildfires ravage the Hawaiian island.
The wildfires are causing mass devastation and loss across the island, especially in Lahaina.
Red Cross volunteers from Phoenix took off from Sky Harbor Saturday morning on a mission to help those affected.
Homes are turned to rubble and ash and people are left running for their lives or hunkering in shelters.
"The people who've lost everything … loved ones, pets … all these things are traumatic experiences," said Pat Simmons, disaster spiritual care supervisor for Red Cross. "So, it's a loss. It's a sense of loss that we try to help people cope (with)."
He'll be helping to put together teams in Maui.
Arizonans with family, friends in Maui still worried
As the country continues to deal with the devastating wildfires that ravaged Maui and resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, those in Arizona with friends and loved ones in the area are still worried. They are waiting for their friends and loved ones to contact them, but communication on the island is still limited. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas reports.
"Someone will work with care and condolence for people who experienced a fatality. The next lane is the folks who are in shelters and we'll meet them and work with them, and then people who for whatever reason haven't made it to a shelter," Simmons explained.
Laura King will also be on the ground working with volunteers and giving out assignments from Honolulu. She'll be there for three weeks.
"Get them the tools they need to be able to roll up their sleeves, get started and give the help to the people that need it the most," King said.
Seeing all the destruction firsthand and helping people cope with loss isn't easy. It takes a toll on the volunteers too.
But, they do it all to make a difference.
"You will get back so much in return than what you actually feel like you give," King said.