Volunteers From Hawaii to New Zealand Battle Mold Crisis

When Kauʻi Reyes looked at the water line nearly reaching the top of her stairs, she knew her 50-year home in Molokaʻi would never be the same. Three feet of floodwater had destroyed her lower studio, and weeks later, something even more dangerous appeared: mold creeping through the walls.

But Reyes wasn't facing this fight alone. Volunteers from Red Lightning, a disaster response organization, showed up at her door ready to help.

"Mold's a dangerous thing, and it just grows unless you actively do something about it," said Tyler Dahlgren, who leads Red Lightning's Maui operations. His team knows that every day matters when fighting mold, which can hide behind walls long after floodwaters dry.

The volunteers tore out moldy ceilings and drywall, used specialized vacuums to remove spores, and sprayed retardant to stop the spread. They also fixed the roof leaks that started the problem.

Dylan Brooks, who came to Maui to visit his brother and stayed to help, worked with his mask on and fans circulating fresh air. "We just want to make sure we mitigate all of the health risks," he said while removing contaminated materials.

Red Lightning started after the 2023 Lahaina fire, when they provided internet connections and helped with smoke cleanup. When the Kona low storms hit, they were positioned right in the middle of the flooding in South Kīhei and started digging immediately.

The Ripple Effect

What makes this response truly special is how far the support reaches. Taskforce Kiwi, a veteran-led disaster group from New Zealand, heard about the need and sent trained volunteers on two-week rotations.

"We recognize that people who volunteer also have jobs, family, things going on, but we just give the time we can," said team leader Jenny Calder, whose organization has 800 trained volunteers ready to activate across New Zealand. They've responded to disasters across the Pacific and previously helped after the Lahaina fire.

The volunteers prioritize families who don't have other recovery options, filling gaps that official responses might miss. They've repaired roofs, cleared downed trees, rebuilt culverts, and talked with kūpuna to understand their most urgent needs.

"Nobody has to carry this burden all on their own," Dahlgren said. When communities face disaster, helpers from thousands of miles away prove that compassion knows no boundaries.