ROCHESTER — The beachside parks of Maui where Rochester resident Beth McLeod once gathered with her family are now being used as temporary shelters for those who lost their homes in the deadly wildfires sweeping Hawaii.

McLeod is searching for her children’s grandmother, Linda Vaikeli, who has been missing on the island since Tuesday, Aug. 8. 

McLeod said she is concerned about Vaikeli’s health and mobility issues.

“[Vaikeli] has a very bad foot so she needs assistance,” she said.

According to McLeod, Vaikeli stayed home on Tuesday while her husband Sione went to a doctor’s appointment on the other side of the island. He was unable to return home after travel restrictions were put in place, McLeod said.

“He just felt horrible because there was nothing he could do,” she said.

Vaikeli’s apartment complex in Lahaina is now “rubble,” said McLeod. “It's like a complete apocalypse.”

The wildfires in Maui and Hawaii Counties are being fueled by the high winds of Hurricane Dora, said Acting Hawaii Governor Sylvia Luke in an emergency proclamation on Sunday, Aug. 13. 

The Maui Police Department said there are 96 confirmed fatalities as of Monday, Aug. 14. 

McLeod said that she has been using social media to gather information and to spread the word of her family’s search for Vaikeli.

“I was constantly posting on any news groups I could find, posting pictures of her and putting [out] her address, where she was last seen, or even putting my [phone] number,” she said.

In addition to spreading the word on social media, McLeod and her family have contacted the Red Cross, the Maui Police Department and placed Vaikeli’s name on missing persons lists.

McLeod said that her family was able to track Vaikeli’s phone which was located in the ocean by the street Vaikeli lived on. “There are very mixed emotions about it,” she said.

McLeod describes Vaikeli, who her children call “Mimi,” as having “a contagious laugh” and “Southern mannerisms.”

“She just loves her family and her people,” said McLeod.

McLeod said that Vaikeli’s son, a resident of Texas, is flying to Maui to search for her.

“We're doing so much footwork amongst ourselves in our own states, trying to get her name out there and do everything we can,” she said.

McLeod described the humanitarianism of Maui locals amidst the devastation as “a strong force.”

“The aloha spirit is nothing to mess with,” said McLeod.