The
first time she returned, she feared the worst for her pets.
"I felt in my heart that they were here and I didn't expect to
find all of them, but I did. And of course, tears and just
hugs," she said.
The main fire-damaged areas of Lahaina remain closed to
residents, but some of the structures in Richter's neighborhood
are still standing, so she is permitted to enter through a
checkpoint.
Her surviving pets are a glimpse of hope after losing everything
she owned in the fire, Richter said. The island of Maui is in
mourning, with at least 114 people killed. According to
investigators, between 1,000 and 1,100 names remain on their
running list of people who are unaccounted for.
"The process is ongoing and so is the grief," said Richter. "But
the little, little bits of joy - I'll take any good news I can
get."
Maui County officials say they have now searched all of the
single-story residential properties in the disaster area.
Among the rubble of her home, Richter found part of a porcelain
angel from a jewelry box. She said it reminded her how lucky she
and her furry friends were to survive.
"We made it out," she said. "Not everyone did."
(Reporting by Liliana Salgado, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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