“It was surreal. It was terrifying,” Queens native Pam Reader said of the moment her family raced away from the flames in Lahaina
A New Yorker whose family lost their home to the devastating Maui wildfires called their last-minute escape “surreal” – and said the area’s continued power outage has stalled communication and recovery efforts as they struggle to get their lives back.
The family spent most of Tuesday hunkered down as 80 to 100 mile-per-hour winds from the hurricane came over Maui. They also monitored the growing smoke until, suddenly, the flames were “a block away, two blocks away.”“A friend who is a lifeguard comes over on a bike. He was covered in soot and he just said It’s time to go. You have to get out of the house,’” Reader recalled.
When asked about the viral videos of Lahaina residents jumping into the ocean to escape the flames, Reader added that she heard many of those forced into the sea were initially sheltering from the wind at a Foodland [grocery store], and only learned about the fire when it was almost too late.“What I’m really concerned about is… we need our power back to rebuild, we need cell service to communicate and start getting our lives back,” Reader told The Post.
“Students showed up, the headmaster…people on the [school’s board] were up all night for two nights with these people, treating their burns, cooking for them,” she said.Both of Reader’s daughters, who are 14 and 12 years old, were set to start the new school year at Maui Prep on Thursday, though the first day of school has now been delayed until further notice.Gofundme
“It was packed,” she said of the makeshift space, where Winfrey was snapped handing out pillow and other items.
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