LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHON2) -- The Lahaina wildfires claimed the lives of 102 people. Families left behind are still struggling with the loss and the loss of their properties.
74-year-old Clyde Wakida was a familiar face in Lahaina town. He built his Puapihi Street home where he and his wife, Penny, lived for over three decades and it's where he was found the day after the fire. Penny still doesn't like talking about that day.
"There's daily so many little things that will just conjure up a memory of something that we've lost and just, it's painful. It just never really goes away," explained Penny Wakida, who lost her husband during the Aug. 8 wildfire.
"It feels like it's been ten years. It feels like there have been days that last for weeks. But then it feels like it was also just yesterday," said Alexa Hanohano, who lost her father in the fire.
Like thousands of others, Penny has found a temporary place to live and has been dealing with insurance.
"They don't just want an inventory. They want to know how many years did you have it and show me your receipts. And we go there aren't any receipts," Penny added. "I think what has continued to be painful for a lot of people is that they don't have a permanent place to live. They're still bouncing around like me."
But for Penny, leaving is not an option.
"I'm a West Maui girl. I don't want to be over there. I like my sunsets and I like my ocean and I like Lanai and, and even though if it's never going to be the same, I'm going to stick it out over here," she said.
"I'm always going to grieve the loss of my dad and always going to grieve the loss of where I grew up, where we were, where my kids grew up," said Alexa.
Clyde's father, Shigesh Wakida, was a Lahaina tennis legend. The tennis courts on Front Street near Shaw Street were named after him. Every structure nearby burned, except the sign with the Wakida name on it