Maui Humane Society Enforcement Officer Sharon Jahns describes how strong winds from the Kona storm over the weekend blew away dog kennels and chicken coops and left animals without food and shelter. Courtesy Maui Humane Society

Maui Humane Society is appealing to the public for donations for animals in need of food and shelter in Hana after the kona storm shut down power and limited road access into the community.

“Hana is often the last to receive aid due to its geographic isolation,” said Nikki Russell, interim CEO of Maui Humane Society.

She fears a prolonged blackout in East Maui and wants to make sure people in Hana are not left out in the dark. Russell said people in Hana have been asking Maui Humane Society for help getting food for their animals.

She said with many roads in East Maui closed, power has been spotty and the service station in Hana has been rationing fuel to customers.

According to Hawaiian Electric, more than 226 customers in the Hana area were without power on Tuesday. That number was down to 70 on Wednesday, as Hawaiian Electric told its customers it could be several more days before power is restored, possibly longer depending on the weather this week.

Russell said her biggest fear is the numerous lines down in areas outside of Hana town, including Nahiku.

She said Maui Humane Society is seeking emergency funding to also hire local contractors to rebuild destroyed shelters for animals in Hana and seeking high-capacity generators to restore power for satellite internet lifeline communications.

MAui Humane Society Enforcement Officer Sharon Jahns, who lives outside of Hana, said the winds were blowing at about 50 mph on Friday and the kona storm was one of the worst they’ve ever seen.

She said a lot of people were blocked in and unable to get out of their areas because of downed trees. She said she herself was unable to travel for a couple of days.

“Our landline is down, the internet is down, electric’s down,” she said.

Jahns said the storm also affected many animals and pets in the area. She was driving around near her residence when she found two dogs that had broken off their chains and eventually found their owners.

She said she herself brought her dog inside from a kennel during high winds, and 10 to 15 minutes later, the wind picked up the kennel and blew it away.

People have also come to Jahn’s home asking for help for their animals.

“I had a lot of people stopping by my house just looking for food,” she said.

Donations to the Hana Emergency Relief can be made at mauihumanesociety.org/helphana.