“Dad, I’m Scared”
August 8th, 2023. American Airlines flight 432. The wind is howling, and it feels like I’ve just gone down the hill of a rollercoaster. While being jolted around like we’re in bumper cars, I look over at my dad clutching the seat in front of him with his head down. I notice myself gripping the armrests on either side. Meanwhile, my mom is in the middle seat trying to remain calm. Hundreds of flights my family has boarded together, but this one was different. It was almost foreshadowing the events to come. Despite initial concern, the pilot safely landed the aircraft. Welcome to Maui, Hawaii.
Putting aside the awful landing, we grab our bags stuffed way too full, and jump in a taxi for an hour-long drive. Shortly into our drive, I notice a brush fire accompanied by a fire truck. We continue in the taxi until we are greeted by police blocking off the road due to a downed powerline from the horrific winds we flew into. We are ushered into a parking lot and sent on another route through a local neighborhood. Suddenly, people are running out of their houses, grabbing their animals, and taking garden hoses to their roofs. I see a woman pointing behind our car. I turn around to see an ominous cloud of deep gray smoke advancing in the wind our way and exchange a glance of concern with my dad.
More downed power lines lay ahead. People are now screaming as the dense smoke and winds pick up. The sky is now pitch black, but it is only 4 pm. The car is being hit with flying debris, traffic is unmoving from all the fallen power lines, embers are flying, and the smoke is billowing our way. Here we are with two options: run into the fire on one side or run to the ocean on the other. My parents are arguing in the seats next to me about our next steps, but I’m too preoccupied with the palm tree outside the window that is now in flames. My dad tells me to get out of the car and start running toward the ocean. I slide the door open, greeted with a wave of heat that feels like I’ve stepped into an oven, I look around, and I freeze. “Dad, I’m scared.”
With no other choice, we start running through the smoke-laden streets towards the ocean walk, sweat dripping down our bodies all while being blinded and suffocated by the smoke. Hot, 80 mile per hour winds are pushing us back. Adrenaline rushes through my body and everything starts to blur. Eventually making it out of the fires, we walk three miles along the ocean walk to the hotel where no one knows the next-door town is up in flames due to the island being without power. People’s eyes follow us as we walk in covered in soot trying to warn people of what is coming their way. We have no source of contact, and we are trapped on a burning island.
The hotel dismisses our warnings and ushers us up to our rooms. Out our room window, all you can see is a bright orange orb that continues to move our way. The exact area we had just been in no longer exists. Lahaina is gone. It continues through the night and into the morning. At this point, the hotel grasps the severity of the situation and devises a plan to get all of the guests to the airport. It has now been over 24 hours, and the town is still burning. The next day, we are shipped back to the airport at 8 p.m. where we will be forced to stay for another two days until we can be evacuated off the island. Eventually, we are placed on a flight to Honolulu and make it off the island.
Seeing the faces of those who had lost everything made me realize how much we were spared. The loss was devastating. Lahaina was entirely burned and much could not be recovered. People were missing. Many had lost everything. However, during a time of so much loss and destruction, people remained helpful, courageous, and kind to one another in and outside of their community. I was only a visitor to this island. My house was still intact. I did not lose a loved one. I was able-bodied and could outrun the flames. Locals were offering help to my family when we suffered no destruction. This spoke so much about the people and community in Maui. May this serve as a gentle reminder to all of us, that the world is unpredictable, and an event like this could happen to any of us at any given time. Please hug your loved ones a little tighter, enjoy the luxury of laying in your warm bed tonight, and thank all of those who have helped you through some of your toughest times. Life can change in an instant.