Two local workers for the Red Cross continue their relief efforts in Maui, after the devastating fire that killed at least 111 people and left many more homeless.
Bernadette Bowie is a Rochester area staffer for the Red Cross who is now assigned to help in Maui for at least the next couple of weeks.
She said many of the local residents she has spoken are still looking for ways to process the trauma they have experienced.
“You (may) know the lives are saved but when you go back and look at any little mementos, the photographs, the memories that can’t be replaced; that’s (what) folks are just trying to cope with,” said Bowie, who is helping coordinate volunteer efforts.
Laura Lutz is a volunteer with the Red Cross who is from the Rochester area. She is a chaplain and is helping with spiritual needs, not only for Maui residents but also for the volunteers and Red Cross staffers as well.
“You’re not getting as much sleep as you should, you’re dealing with harsh conditions in some cases, a lot of heat here in Maui, so we encourage people, (and) help them to see that they’re not alone, that people care about them and we’re working together as a team,” said Lutz.
Lutz says one of the biggest emotional needs among Maui residents she has spoken with involves those who have not yet been able to re-connect with a family member or other loved ones.
Lutz said that among her tasks is trying to help people who can’t find missing relatives.
“Our reunification team works with that, I ask what their spiritual belief is, as far as their spiritual tradition and try to assure them that their loved one is not lost to God; God knows where their loved one is, and God has his arm around them, and I think that gives them comfort,” said Lutz
Red Cross volunteers are cycling in and out of Maui every few weeks. The organization expects to be providing relief efforts there for months.
