Brian Schatz: “for so many people in Lahaina, next week marks 1 year since the worst day of their lives. They watched in horror as…”

“for so many people in Lahaina, next week marks 1 year since the worst day of their lives. They watched in horror as wind-whipped fires barreled into town at blistering speed and sent everything in their path up in flames. They saw the only homes and places they had ever known and lived in fall around them. And with just minutes to escape, they gathered whatever they could and ran for their lives. It is a testament to the generosity and camaraderie that typifies Hawaii that, even amid all of that panic and chaos, so many people put their loved ones, their neighbors, and total strangers before themselves. In their darkest hour, their first instinct was to provide help. In that moment, everyday people became eternal heroes. The outpouring of kindness continued far beyond those first few hours. As the grim and heartbreaking reality of death and destruction set in, people did everything that they could to ease the burden, even if just a little bit. Everybody pitched in--not because they were asked but because they saw that their ohana needed help. For the survivors who lost everything in an instant, no amount of help is ever truly enough. Mr. President, 102 people died that day; 2,200 structures, most of them homes, flattened. More than 12,000 residents were displaced overnight. And so the process of recovery was never going to be quick or easy.…”