By Kevin Lopez
The wildfires in Maui continue to cause problems in the state of Hawaii as 55 deaths have been reported and over a thousand have gone missing.
Two Grand Rapids Community College students, who have been on the island most of the summer for a culinary internship, have fortunately been safely evacuated.
Mary Slafkosky, Vice President for College Advancement at GRCC, confirmed the safety of the students with the Collegiate.
“We have spoken to the two students and they are doing well. They are safe,” Slafkosky said. “They lost power and had damage at the residence they were staying at. Therefore the students went to stay with their boss’s family from the place they were interning.”
The students were staying in Lahaina, which is where their internship was, and the town has been ravaged by the fires.
“Because their internship was almost completed, our faculty will be working with them to make sure they receive the credit required,” Slafkosky said. “Both students will be returning to GRCC and resuming classes this upcoming semester.”
The students are currently in a safe location, but their return is still unknown due to the fires and how many people are trying to leave the island currently.
The students were scheduled to be back home by Aug. 18. “Because of the fires we do not know, nor do they know at this point, if they will be coming back early or by the 18th when they are scheduled to return,” Slafkosky said.
Slafkosky did want to share a message of support for those who are dealing with the fires and the families of the two students.
“Our paramount concern was to ensure our students were safe and taken care of until they could return home,” she said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Lahaina as they recover from this tragedy and look to rebuild their lives.”
