GREENVILLE, Calif. — When Greg Ely turns on the news, the videos from Maui bring back painful memories of what happened to his community two years ago.
"Exactly the same. It's a firestorm, and it has no mercy," Ely said of the fires now raging in Hawaii.
The last time Ely and Rhonda Reames saw their Greenville home in 2021, the trees in their backyard were on fire. They lost everything from their treasured items to their vehicles and home.
"Think about the darkest thought that you can think and then multiply it by 10," Reames said. "It was absolutely horrible to watch your town, your home go up in flames."
"There's no argument that if you're displaced from your house because of any natural disaster, it's probably the worst thing that's ever happened to you," said Steve Walsh, spokesperson for the American Red Cross California Gold Country Region.
Walsh is now supporting communications for the non-profit's response in Hawaii, where it has established three shelters housing about 2,000 people. He has also worked every major California fire of the last several years, including the Dixie Fire.
"Even though I'm not on Maui today, I can absolutely understand what the citizens and the tourists are going through. It's incredibly scary, and they need guidance, they need help and they need resources," Walsh said.
Ely and Reames rebuilt their lives in Greenville and believe there's hope for the people of Hawaii to rebuild too.
"There's a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror, and I hold that in my heart and I can move forward. And we have," Reames said.
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