USA (MNN) — It’s the deadliest fire in Hawaii’s history, and the worst the United States has seen in the last century. Wildfires broke out on the island of Maui last week forcing thousands to flee their homes.
We now know at least 100 people have died. Authorities expect that number to go up as crews go through the hardest-hit town, Lahaina. Over 1,300 people are still missing.
Hawaii, USA (Photo courtesy of Evan Brandt/Unsplash)
Mabel Todd, the widow of FMI founder Ed Todd, lives on the unaffected side of Maui. She says, “The horror of it is just overwhelming. There are a lot of stories of praise, of course, of people who were rescued. But there are so many more that didn’t make it. So it is really overwhelming and it just is making our island sad.”
Todd works at a local ministry school and says people are taking in displaced family and friends, showing Christ’s love in tragedy.
“Hawaiian people, Maui people are so generous and so giving. It wouldn’t matter how many had been displaced. They’ll make room for them in their homes, and that’s what’s happening even among our school families.”
Please pray for the Lord’s comfort for those grieving in Maui today.
“Prayer is the most important thing,” Todd says. “We’re praying for just the peace of God to come over this island and that somehow that anger will be repressed as people learn to trust in God’s grace and mercy.”
Header photo of fire spotting helicopter over the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of Kahunapule Michael Johnson/Flickr: https://rb.gy/s87vy)
