(NewsNation) — Nonprofit organizations are sending essential supplies to the island of Maui, providing relief to survivors of the devastating wildfires that swept through the island.
Direct Relief, based in Santa Barbara, California, is focused on providing health and medical supplies to the locals of Lahaina and other areas impacted by the fires.
Direct Relief has partnered with private jet company ROAM Maui, which shuttles Maui homeowners between the island, Los Angeles, San Jose and Seattle. The planes are now being used to transport medical supplies to the island.
“It’s about a ton of specialized medications, emergency medical packs, and those went with a team who worked with the local Maui organizations that, thankfully, we had been working with previously, who plugged in,” said Thomas Tighe, president and CEO Direct Relief.
Tighe joined “NewsNation Live” to discuss his organization’s role in relief efforts, stressing the importance of listening to what locals need.
“All of those big wheels of government are very important, and they ultimately go far. They just take a while to get moving fast. So the smaller wheels turn faster. And that’s what we’ve seen with the local folks who live there and work there (and who) have the most at stake. And that’s who I think we believe it’s important to listen to particularly in this moment of tragedy,” Tighe said.
