Kokomo native reflects on Maui wildfires

Sep. 8—It was Aug. 8, and Bethany Price remembers waking up around 5 a.m. to the sound of wind outside her apartment in the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina.

The power had gone out, sending Price and her roommates stumbling through the darkness to safely secure any loose patio furniture on their lanai.

Price — born and raised in Kokomo and a recent graduate of Purdue University with a degree in aquatic science — had only been in Lahaina for a couple months at that point, working in the tourism industry with the Pacific Whale Foundation.

It's a dream job, she told the Tribune, one that includes whale watching, snorkeling and various cruises around the island of Maui.

But then came Aug. 8.

After they secured the patio furniture, Price and her roommates were able to drift back off to sleep for a few more hours, but the knocked-out power had canceled their snorkeling trips for that day, leaving the group to sort of just "hang out," she said.

Around 3:30 p.m., they began to see smoke.

"It was going on in the background on the other side of our building," Price said, "but we didn't see any flames. We just saw smoke."

But over the course of a few minutes, the smoke continued to get worse, Price recalled.

"It was getting to where when the wind moved it, our apartment got dark enough that we needed a flashlight," she said. "That's when we started to really get concerned, and because we didn't have internet, we couldn't Google to find out what was going on. At that point, we didn't hear any sirens, so we figured we were fine."

But an hour later, the group was anything but fine.

Wildfire flames started erupting on the street in front of Price's apartment, and Price called her parents in Kokomo to let them know of the situation that was happening around her.

"Five minutes after that, embers started flying up into our lanai on our patio," she said, "so we knew we needed to leave."

Price and her roommates quickly packed essential items and made their way out of the building.

There was still no warning of the fires, Price noted. They just left on their own.

The smoke was prevalent, and Price said everything around them was complete blackness as they hurriedly drove away from the apartment complex into the unknown.

"We were in traffic for about an hour or an hour-and-a-half just trying to get to a friend's house," Price said. "When we got to that friend's house, we were still on the west side of Lahaina, so we were just north of the fire. We were at our friend's house for maybe three hours, and we could see the orange and black glow of the fires from there."

Around 8 p.m., Price and the others in her group decided they would try to get some sleep.

But a few hours later, they were told they'd have to evacuate again.

"Obviously we couldn't go back through Lahaina, so we had to take the north highway," Price told the Tribune. "I'm not sure of the road's name, but it's very dangerous, and people really aren't supposed to go on it. But we went there, and other cars were waiting as well. They had a guard blocking it off until it was absolutely necessary.

"After more than an hour, it finally became our turn to drive on that road," she added. "But we had to go slow because there were so many twists and turns, and the power was out, so there were no lights. It was just complete darkness."

And while any other 22-year-old might have panicked, Price said it was her faith in God that kept her calm as they escaped the raging inferno.

"I was just praying a lot throughout the day and definitely through the drive out of the smoke," Price said. "'Dear God, keep us safe. Dear God, get us out of this.' And he was faithful. He did. Normally I follow my parents' lead on what to do when I need to do something important or make tough decisions, but that was all on us at that point. Should we stay? Should we go? We had to decide for ourselves."

A few hours later, Price and her roommates eventually reached the safety of a co-worker's house, and they were finally able to settle down.

They were far enough away from Lahaina that they were physically safe from the fires, though none of them knew what to expect if or when they ever got back there.

And when they were finally able to return, they were met with ashes.

The Lahaina that Price fell in love with back in June, with its quaint shops that dotted Front Street and its friendly people who would greet you with a smile and the word "Aloha," was no more.

"It's really bad," Price told the Tribune. "It's just gone now. There are a few buildings left standing, praise the Lord, but everything else is just gone. The harbor that I work out of, completely gone. A lot of the boats are destroyed. My boat that I worked on? Gone. Lots of people lost their homes and businesses; their entire lives just gone in a day. It's just completely devastating."

But there was a bright spot in the devastation, Price noted.

Her apartment building was spared from the wildfire, though Price eventually had to find another place to live because of the complex's inhabitability.

Price also still has her position with the Pacific Whale Foundation too, though it's sort of in a limbo state.

"We stopped doing trips," she said, though she's hopeful they will start again this month to some degree. "We did do supply runs where we'd supply up our remaining boats and go up to the north side of Lahaina and drop off those supplies for the people living on that side. But at least we still have our jobs, and they've been an amazing company. They've really been trying to take care of us. They've been a blessing."

The foundation has since set up a disaster relief fund, and you can donate to that fund by visiting www.pacificwhale.org.

And through it all, the hardship, heartbreak and confusion, Price has still managed to find the positive.

"I think one of the lessons, for me, that came from this is that as a Christian, you kind of look at the world through a biblical lens," she said. "It's just a constant reminder to trust God and to remain faithful even when bad things happen. We don't know why they happen, but I believe he has a plan and a reason."

She's also convinced that Lahaina will build back as strong as ever.

"We have 'Maui strong' out here," she said. "I've seen it on hats and shirts, and I really hope we can rebuild. I definitely want to stay here and be a part of that community rebuilding too."