TAMPA, Fla — Tampa-based non-profit organization Project DYNAMO is once again lending its efforts to help in the wake of the deadly fires in Hawaii.
Founder Bryan Stern and a group of three volunteers flew to Maui Monday night. By Tuesday, they were loading supplies and making dropoffs wherever they could.
"We have done air operations via helicopter. We have also done a number of humanitarian aid operations also via helicopter, and then we have also been doing a lot of stuff on the ground. The roads have opened and closed over time," Stern said.
As ground crews offer aid and search efforts on the ground, case managers and volunteers are working in their Tampa and Canada locations to help families get in touch with their loved ones.
Through Project DYNAMO's website, families can request a search for their loved ones.
"There are whole city blocks that are reduced down to an ashtray," Stern said. "There are homes that could fit into a garbage bag. That's what's left."
Since the devastating fire, gut-wrenching images have shown what is left from the blaze that killed nearly 100 people.
Government aid is still not enough. Stern said it's the people on the island who are making it work with what little they have,
"Right now, this is very much led by the local community trying to figure it out with a very, very terrible set of circumstances," Stern said.
The non-profit operates solely on donations. For more information on how to donate or submit a search request, visit https://www.projectdynamo.org/.
