Relatives of residents struggle to help from afar

By Max Matzain Maui, Hawaii

After three sleepless nights worrying for her family in Maui, 21-year-old Kaleikaumaka Johnson still turns up for work - waitressing in Kahului, Maui.

But her thoughts are miles away, at home.

"I go to sleep and I just wake up gagging, throwing up and then I start crying because I can't even be alive without thinking about what is, has happened to my people, my family", she says.

Fast-spreading wildfires caused devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui and destroyed most of the historic town of Lahaina earlier this week.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said the fires were the "largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history" and that 80% of the beach-front town was gone.

Dozens of people were killed in the inferno, and days after the fires ripped through the town, the death toll continues to rise.

Speaking to the BBC on a break from work, she says images of bodies in Maui pervade her social media feeds.

Many people became trapped by the flames in Lahaina, and some died trying to protect their homes, she says.

Talking of one of her distant relatives, Ms Johnson says he was found "in a lawn chair in his yard burnt to a crisp... because he refused to leave his house".

"That's all he knows and loves."

Others tried to escape the flames by climbing the mountains into the forest - and many have yet to make contact.

Of her relatives who live in Maui, four of their family homes were destroyed. The only one left standing belongs to her aunt.

"They built all of their houses near each other so they'll all be living with each other forever... they all wanted to stay together forever and have their kids grow up together," she says.

Now, as the town enters its third day without power and water, the houses that are left standing face another risk: looting.

Ms Johnson says her mother stayed in Lahaina to protect her home. She has spent the day nailing boards to windows and doors to try and stop people from breaking in.

But, the 21-year-old says people are not looting homes because they are criminals.

"People are so desperate. They haven't eaten since the fire started. Their babies are wearing the same diapers since the fires started. They're so desperate. It was an apocalyptic situation.

"I don't blame the reactions for most, even the most extreme reactions because they're in total survival mode."

Despite her distance from Lahaina, the scale of the disaster is not lost on Ms Johnson.

"I just told my bartender I'm not going back to school this year, because I no longer can afford to... I have to put that on hold for a semester to be able to take care of my family."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o67CZ5qopV%2Bjsri%2FjrCmq6SUYsK0ecKapZqckWKDd4CXbW1sbQ%3D%3D