► Jonny’s Gofundme: gofund.me/6a7536fd This is the beginning of a 7-part Hawaii series. After making this video, I returned to my hotel with many different emotions coursing through me. One was of frustration that Lahaina still looks like this eight months after the fire, which is completely unacceptable. If this was a priority for the US government, things would look much differently. Through experience, I've realized that finding honest groups to donate to (while I'm sure some exist) are in the minority. Therefore, I have difficulty recommending things to you, since I have no idea where the money will land. Jonny didn't ask for it when we met up, so I decided if someone wants to give, the best place I can recommend is to Jonny and his family to help rebuild their home and businesses. If you're interested in doing so, here's his Gofundme: gofund.me/6a7536fd or Venmo: venmo.com/u/Jonathan-Varona-1

Still having to pay a mortgage on a property that no longer exists, and not yet allowed to rebuild on land you own! Complete and utter madness.

I'm also a Lahaina resident, owner of a home in the burn zone, and also lost my business in downtown Lahaina in the fire. Jonny did an excellent job outlining everything and was spot on about the situation here! Thank you for this video.

My family loves Lahaina and visits yearly. We actually had just left Maui a week prior to the fire. Our first and last meal of our trip is always Mala. Our family resides in Colorado and unfortunately 2 years ago a historic wildfire swept through our community, burning thousands of homes to the ground as welll as businesses. Within 6-8 months most of the debris was cleaned up and today, 2 years later, 80% of homes are nearly rebuilt. I am utterly heartbroken and in pure disbelief to see nothing recovered or rebult for the people of Lahaina. The recovery and care provided to the locals and natives is deplorable.

Ronald Reagan once said, "The nine most terrifying word in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'."

I’ve only been watching for 2 min and Peter has already covered more of this disaster than any news organization.

Does anyone else find it absolutely sickening that the victims of this disaster have to worry about money and such while or government is sending BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES to fund wars? Absolutely sickening!

Nice work Peter. Just got back from Kauai where my buddy has been housing friends, 2 families from Lahaina: listening to the helplessness and impending sense of loss that they have experienced. Jonny, besides being a cool cat , defines the Hawaiian spirit, and real Mana. He and his family will persevere. Thanks again for the authentic tour and conversation

Their situation still breaks my heart . I cant imagine going through this tragedy without nitemares . Praying for you all .

Peter’s videos are quickly becoming one of my favorite YT channels. No fluff, no politics, just Americans dealing with life. Thanks for the purity, Peter.

Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalism Peter. No joke.

They think we will forget, I will never forget.😢 Thank you brother 🙏

So tragic not only do you lose from the fire but the system insults you. I am so sorry for Hawaiians struggles . Bless yall hugs to all.

Billions going out of this country and to people not from here, and here we have this. It makes no sense. Thanks for shining a big light on this Peter.

Leave it up to Peter he goes to Hawaii and heads straight to the burn zone to show the real. Saturday mornings with Peter is a great start to the day show em!! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸!!

As Maui Local this video was spot on. Thorough and accurate depiction of the disconnect between all the different entities and how many people were uninsured or not insured at all. And shed light on how families that slipped through the cracks. It's heartbreaking. I hope some good comes of this video. Aloha ❤

I’m in Kauai right now and literally thought to myself @PeterSantenello needed to come do a Hawaii video series. There’s a lot of great stories to be shared here. Thanks for the work you continue to do in telling the untold stories through the people who lived them.

This interview deserved to be on main stream. I learned so much about Hawaii’s situation and it’s only half of the video.

Jonny used to own the surfshack i taught at. wonderfully composed interview, sending much love to him, Aina and the kids, they've always been so calm and supportive. these incredible humans deserve all the help they can get because they help everyone in their path.

This guy's smile says so much about his character. He seems like a really good person.

Wow. Jonny is an amazing human. He really nailed the nuance of the situation. My heart weeps for Lahaina.

You gotta love how they are waiting out the residents so to squeeze them until they can't hold on any longer and have to sell.

I don’t trust a lot of media these days but I trust Peter. Thank you for always keeping it real mate!

Peter, not sure if you read all the comments to your vids, but your recent visits to Maui struck me close. My son had lived on Maui for 13 or 14 years, mostly upcountry. He was in Mariposa, California, for our family reunion when the fire occurred, and couldn't get back for several weeks. After being back a few months, he said he couldn't stay there anymore, there were too many factors, from financial to emotional, that prevented that. We had lived on the Big Island, still have many friends there, and what you captured, with Alika, really captured the essence of what it was to experience Hawaii, Aloha, and it's real spirit. Mahalo.

This guy is being way nicer about the government's involvement in Lahaina than need be.

I'm from Paradise California and it's crazy hearing his story and how similar it is to the community of Paradise.

A year after I moved from Maui I lost my home in the fire that took Paradise. You are so right about your mental state. Unfortunately PTSD lasts much longer. Yes the insurance is an important issue. Mine was up to date. FEMA gave us 700 and with insurance got nothings else. Always get full replacement value on insurance. I was okay but so many were not. My advice is get an independent adjuster to go over your policy to make sure you get what you need. Not sure about Hawaii…but because Paradise was declared a disaster, they’re supposed to pay you all of your insurance to its limits, including your housing. This is what they did for Paradise. I sold my lot paid off my mortgage and moved on. It would have been years before I could have built. My hearts go out to you and all In Lahaina. So sorry for your loss.

THANKYOU for putting us there . Such Horrific terror and loss is difficult to fathom. Our prayers are with you like the air and ocean.

As a former resident of Hawaii our hearts go out to all the locals!! I'll hit up the go fund me for sure! Thanks for bringing us the real boots on the ground story.

I lost my house in a Santa Barbara wildfire in a similar manner. It was a minor fire up in the mountains and then the wind started blowing 70 miles an hour down canyon and my house was gone in a matter of hours along with all my neighbors. Then the county Published how they were going to clean things up rapidly and streamline the permitting process and help the community rebuild. And the insurance companies took out large ads saying they were there to help. Meanwhile, in the background, the county was tripping all over their feet and they absolutely did not streamline the permitting process, we experienced a barrage of ridiculously frustrating delays and all kinds of permitting nonsensical hoops to jump through. The insurance companies literally screwed me over in the backside, good contractors were hard to find and there was a wealth of people that were more than happy to rip you off in your time of need. Almost a year later virtually nothing had been done, I wasn't even allowed to clean up my own damn yard! Surviving the wild fire was easy, the real trauma comes when you try to get back on your feet and simply rebuild. It was an awful process.

I am so glad you have gone to Maui. This will bring Lahaina the attention it deserves that the Main Stream Media has remained silent on. Thank you Peter. It's Citizen journalist''s like you who get the real word out to people.

I am from Georgia and was completely shocked by what took place on Maui. The images are simply unbelievable. I have never been there and at my age, it seems unlikely that I will ever make it, but my wife and I are compelled to try to help. After the fires were finally out, It took a couple of days for us to make a connection to a local resident who we could directly sponsor, but we were eventually successful. It's not as much as we would like to send, but we have been sending the interest from our savings account to a particular local family every month. We plan to do this indefinitely and are more than happy to do it. I am hopeful that these few dollars every month are helping them a little and the money is making some impact on the local economy. Lahaina and Maui deserve better than what happened, so help if you can. This is a great channel. Please keep up the good work.

Thank you for continuing the conversation and keeping Lahaina on people's minds. ❤ I will continue to pray and help however I can.

Top Videographer Award has to be Santenello Productions. Your body of work is so diverse it's amazing. A man with a camera out performs the traditional industry. Keep it up and as always, we look forward to where you will take us next.❤

Thank you for bringing attention to this. Just after the fires when people were asking questions they were told "This is not the time to ask those questions". It doesn't seem like the answers will be coming anytime soon.

This interview should be picked up by every major news network.

Thanks for showing the banyan. It's a glimpse many of us have been aching to see.

Hey Peter. I’m an electrical contractor on the West Coast, and there are a lot of barriers that make the reconstruction difficult. Ships going US port to US port require all US crews, so shipping goods is difficult without a waiver from the government (this was also an issue rebuilding Puerto Rico). Even getting parts to Maui, only Hawaiian electrical contractors are allowed to work in Hawaii, with Hawaiian trained journeymen (must have completed apprenticeships in Hawaii). I’d love to send a crew for a month, but even if someone totally paid there way, they couldn’t work without relaxing protections which, normally protecting Hawaiian and US workers, make the rebuild difficult. Lahaina has had a special place in my heart the last 35 years, I wish I could help. Thank you for making this video giving an inside view.

Need a full nonbiased investigation. Hold these people in power and those who "followed orders" accountable.

This guy has a very balanced and healthy way of thinking, he gets the nuance that comes with any situation. I really hope that Lahaina get's whatever help it wants and rebuilds for all of those who lost. Such a beautiful place that needs to be treasured.

I wish I had the funds and the time to come help build this community!!! Thanks for the video Peter! You did an awesome job capturing his story and just showing the world that there is lot of help still needed in Maui and will be for a long while!!

When this first happened, and I heard the word FEMA, my heart sank.

I was there at Lahaina Beach Resort (as a tourist) the morning the fires happened. It was beyond windy. The power was out in the whole town and everyone was scrambling at the Safeway to grab food and lines were long everywhere that was open. It honestly felt like the world was ending in a way. After my unsuccessful attempt to get food I had to find like a hidden road to leave town to grab some food in the next town over, because they blocked majority of the exits in and out of town. I don’t know how or why; but Lady Luck provided me a way out of town before it was on fire. When I was driving back to Lahaina, it was blocked off because later that evening the fires had started again and you know the rest; that night I slept on the road that led into town in my rental car that night. All my belongings are in the hotel I was staying in, ironically; the place I was staying was one of the only buildings that survived the fire (so regardless if I had left or not I would have been okay, but who knows), I left all my belongings in my room and apparently they are still in the hotel but they won’t let anyone in even after 8 months. It’s so odd that it’s been this long and no one has helped any of the locals, it’s sad because they want to do something but it seems whoever is responsible is making it impossible for them. I hope they are able to recover very soon, much love ❤

Absolutely devastating and heartbreaking!!! The Hawaiian islands are so close to paradise and it makes me so sad to see the people struggle so much!!!

Jonny is very wise and thoughtful. Very nice to see someone on your channel who understands that *everything* is a double-edged sword in some way.

I live in Indiana. And it pisses me off how they just approved another 90+ Billion dollars to be sent over seas. But people here in the US that suffered through a catastrophic disaster at no fault of there own and lost everything. Aren’t getting much of anything. $700 and if you had insurance they won’t help you and just let them deal with it

The firefighter has a mind of steel. Probably because of his training, and because he has seen others lose everything long before this fire. I wish him the best.

The houses were melted but the trees are left green and perfect..

10:18 Our family dealt with this as well in California. The insurance companies were an absolute nightmare to deal with. Blessings to you all

This guy's attitude is everything

Criminals protected by their own type. Heart goes out to the people of Lahaina. ❤ from Uk.

The KZfaq algorithm fed me Peter Santenello and Tyler Oliveira at the same time. Oliveira is revolting, exploitative and gives me an icky feeling. Santenello is the exact opposite. Thanks Peter for giving us authenticity!

Your channel is fascinating. Having gone through two floods in our basement in less than a month, I feel deeply for this man's story. Our basement is bad, but what he's going through is unbelievable.

This man is incredibly humble and well spoken.

You'll own nothing and be happy! -WEF

Crazy, I've watched 20 mins of this and learned more about what's going on there than from ANY media agency..

BTW, Paradise, California was destroyed by fire 5 years ago as of November 2023. The rebuilding process continues. Expect Lahaina, Hawaii, being on a remote island, will take a longer. City needs to decide it they are going to build back better or different. Each property owner has to decide to either build back or sell to developers or locals. Tough, long process.

this man's courage and perseverance is inspiring

Currently several parishes in Jamaica are undergoing a water crisis. There are over 2000 fresh rivers and streams, including blue holes, waterfalls and many springs available but there is no water in the pipes. Fires have been breaking out in the morass and the firetrucks have no water to extinguish it. The army was called out last week to help put out some of the fires. Unusually high winds are a hindrance. Meanwhile there's been closed door meetings and protests due to that. Many of the people live on ancestral land without deeds or title to their property. Although many do. Hopefully it isn't coming from the DS playbook, but it seems all too familiar. Prayers up for Jamaica!

Peter and Johnny out there doing the real reporting. Thank you!

This story should be a proper movie in cinemas! To raise the awareness. I had no idea. Thanks Peter! I watch you every lunch break and use you as a means to know more about society and to get out of my own bubble here in safe Sweden.

Mahalo Peter for being on the ground in Lahaina. I was born on Oahu, raised in Kona, and currently living in Nor Cal. What I respected most about your piece was your ability to not promote and politicize the situation. You come across as respectful, caring, and let a local kamaaina speak his (and his families) truth. From a Kanaka Maoli perspective I appreciate your effort and your restraint . Hawaiian people very seldom get that respect from mainlanders. True professional. Mahalo Nui, Rock Kahele

Because he's a firefighters, he had to be careful to not talk about the specific wrongdoings, from all the uppers. I do appreciate the information. Makes me so sad.

Peter asks the right questions, finds the real people and is a real gentleman while he's at it. Godspeed Pete.

I really appreciate Jonny’s and yours honest and genuine conversation throughout this video. Just amazing humans and I hope for nothing but the best in your continued series and in his continued fight.

Thank you for not calling it a wildfire.

thank you so much for the video: they removed few debris from Kula because Oprah lives there but they made piles in Lahaina and they are all still there. They say that residents can't go back home because the air is dirty but if they don't remove the debris, it certainly is dirty, but no one works or does anything…

This story rips my heart apart. I love how you just let people say their piece. You get such a beautiful insight.

10 yrs ago, i as a tourist walked through Lahaina. I had a beer at an old whaling bar with a guy singing guitar. The stars were above, weather perfect. And i thought "lahaina is one of the most special , beautiful places on our planet." I loved it there. We, as Americans, are so lucky to have you in our nation. Mahalo, from cold and icy Chicago!

Prayers going out to everyone involved. Who else appreciates Peter sharing these true inside looks?!

Thank you so much for this update. Unbelievable how sad the situation still is. My heart is broken and goes out to all who lost. I hope that within your 7 part series that we’ll learn about a good organization to donate to.

Thank you, Peter, for visiting Maui. It's still very important for people on the mainland to support Lahaina past, present & future. As a frequent visitor of Maui since the 1970's my heart aches for these people with the loss of their families, their properties, business & their community. Realtor, Eric West a local was able to spearhead financial contributions that went directly to the people in need. I'm not sure what is happening with that right now. Samantha from Starkey Farms out of Louisiana had also been to Maui several times and was assisting in getting money directly to the people. This has been such a travesty and is totally unacceptable in terms of response during the event, no accountability, loss of life & resolution. The people of Lahaina still need our help. Everyone reading this, please keep them in your thoughts, assist in whatever way you can. I always love your travels and have met such genuine people through your videos. Thank you Peter for calling attention to the needs of Lahaina. ❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you for showing this one. The people there deserve better help. Our corrupt government can help everyone outside our country but not our own people.

I haven't watched the entire video yet, but I hope you touch on the subject regarding all of the children that disappeared mysteriously during all of this.

I’ve lived in Maui for 25 years. I’ve been working with wildfire survivors for the last 6 months. We are making progress. It’s painfully slow but it is a complex system that is operating. I’ve had my moments of utter frustration but I haven’t given up and am here for the king haul. We will be ok. I feel optimistic because I have seen how strong the people are here. It’s always been that you have to really want to live here to do it. It’s a sacrifice to live here but for me it’s the people here. I’ve lived all over the world and this is my home because of its people. I’ve raised my children here. There is a lot I’m sad to see but I refuse to give up. I feel the Hawaiian people have been through a lot and will come out ok. I’m going to continue to do all I can to make sure that happens. 🌸🌸

This was a great interview Peter, eye opening and i wish this gentleman and his family and friends the quick recovery they deserve. They deserve so much than what has been given.

Bro you have a gift, and it is the gift of TRUST. People trust you to tell their stories. What an honor.

From someone who used to drive a truck for a demolition company. 8 months is unacceptable. Every piece of property should be clear by now. So these people can rebuild and get back to normal. They are dragging their feet for a reason. We could haul i full 2 story house in 4 loads. Theres no reason they dont have atleast 10 properties a day cleared.

It's sad to see such a beautiful place and culture be destroyed so fast. I'm surprised it's taken so long before they'll let you all rebuild.

as a visitor of the Island yearly, our hearts go out to u your candor about the situation and real details is commendable and appreciated. stay strong.

DEW.... The amount of pure evil being inflicted on people is unbelievable.

Thank you for doing what the entire media refuses to do

Maui Local here, I really appreciate you Peter for spreading awareness of what is happening in Lahaina and the process. When the fire broke out back in August nobody really knew what was happening in Lahaina. It was one of the most scariest days of my life, there was no communication coming in and out of Lahaina till around midnight I saw the video of front street on fire. After that video, it just kept getting worse and worse. My mom lived in Lahaina and the uncertainty to not knowing if she made it out was the worst 24 hours of my life. Fortunately she got out before it got to her place. It still haunts me to this day and my heart still aches for the lives lost.

Thank you Peter for this video. My heart hurts for the people affected by the wildfires. ❤❤❤❤

Showing the fire victims on the fence on the end of the video brought tears to my eyes. I am so touched by this video and had no idea what these people are still going through. Thank you, Peter, for opening our eyes to this devastating situation. My prayers and funds will go towards helping these people!

In 2022, I spent three weeks in Maui, and most of that was in Lahaina. I went to Jonny’s surf shop, and I spent time talking to one of his employees about surfing, being new to sport; despite her strong opinion to do a lesson, I told her I’d figure it out. When I realized that was Jonny’s shop in this video, all those memories came flooding back. My buddy and I spent a lot of time in town, we slept in a van on the beach just outside of Lahaina, we ate the amazing food, basked in the sun, interacted with the locals, made friends, and drank in every single moment. It broke my heart when I heard what had happened to the community of Lahaina. It is almost by Providence I would find myself the following year in Medical Lake with the state as a wildland firefighter fighting the Medical Lake fire. Although I don’t know Jonny, I feel a sense of kindred spirit to him being as close as I was to his business, his community, and his hometown. There is a lot of emotion thinking about this topic, but what I come away with is realizing that being close to people is one thing, but community goes beyond oneself and knowing others; it requires investing and contributing to the communion of people as a whole, through love, and through selflessness- and that’s the Gospel. I pray that for the community of Lahaina. I have seen the community of Medical Lake come together, and I have seen that area, just as Jonny said, they have grown and people are moving back into their homes. There’s a lot of powers at be, a lot of agendas, both evil and good, and despite it all, we have to ask ourselves through these scenarios that we view from afar on our screens, “What would I do?” Just as the Boy Scout motto says, “Be prepared,” we ourselves need to be ready for what may come to our communities like Lahaina, Medical Lake, and so many more communities in 2023, and now this year in 2024. There’s so much that needs to happen in Lahaina, and I pray they will get the help they honestly deserve. @PeterSantenello, thank you. The algorithm did something right for once, and I stumbled across your video. Thank you, and God bless you. Jonny, I doubt you may read this, but I just wanted to say thank you for all you are doing, and being the man and husband that your wife and kids look up to, leading your family courageously through this season. I pray that God will show His mighty work through you, that those in need that you interact with will be fed, clothed and healed because of your leading in the face of turmoil. May the Gospel go forth. Amen.

I'm so glad that you did a story on Hawaii out of control 🔥. I had been googling info on the updates and couldn't find anything

Peter your work is awesome brother!!! You my friend are a REAL journalist. Much respect. Sending love to all affected by this tragedy.

Johnny seems very well grounded and well spoken. I can’t imagine dealing with all that.

Peter isn't suicidal, just making that statement now.

Sending love, hope and prayers to the residents of Lahaina ❤️🙏🏻!,

AMAZING STORY AND VIDEO!! Really helped me understand what is going on there 8 months later as well. Thank you both for this ground zero insight from an amazing local resident.

Necessary if extremely painful video to watch. Brings out a lot of sadness and anger. Our so-called "leaders" -of both parties - have failed not only the people of Lahaina but the entire country and we should not be giving one penny to any other country while this special place still lays in ruins. Prayers and best wishes are with Jonny, his family, and the people of Lahaina and once again, thanks to Peter for covering the important situations that apparently few if anyone one else will.

We visited Lahaina in April 2017. It was such an amazing little town with so much life. This fire was the definition of a tragedy

THANK YOU for sharing this video!!

Thanks for sharing this with us!

Peter you should get ahold of the channel Hawaii Real Estate. He has interviews from countless natives and questioning so much about these fires and even the counsel meetings being held.

Peter, 8months has passed since the fires and literally zero progress…This really annoys me, I was blown away when I watched this video. I cannot imagine the amount of pain and frustration that this has caused many people in the Lahaina community. Our government needs to be more responsible and take action immediately to help those who are suffering and struggling with this tragedy. I’m so glad that you are there and that you have enlightened the world that so much more work and support is needed for the displaced families. Please continue to be the voice for the families that are struggling and hopefully they will get the relief they need and deserve.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JUST TELLING IT STRAIGHT! No conspiracy theories like Eric West promotes! I watched a video of a drone going over Maui! He does it about every 2 months! I was really surprised to see so many lots with the brown dirt, the brown dirt with piles of gravel ready to be spread, and lots with the gravel on them! I mean there is a ton to still be done, but definitely some progress!!!

On goggle earth for a short time showed the destruction but for the last month or so it now shows a perfectly intact city. WTF???? My grandmother always told me, believe half of what you see and nothing that you hear! Those words ring truer today