Episode 1 – Kyle Ellison
In this episode of Pilali, Ashley and Wren sit down with Mālama Kula founder Kyle Ellison to explore what happens when disaster forces a community to become its own first responder. Kyle shares his experience of the 2023 Kula fires, from fighting flames behind his home to helping neighbors access water and supplies, and how that response ultimately grew into Mālama Kula.
The conversation explores the power and limits of community-led disaster recovery, from wildfire prevention and philanthropy to the long-term work of rebuilding. Together, they reflect on what Maui’s recovery reveals about tourism, housing, local infrastructure, and what it takes to build communities that are prepared not just to respond to disaster, but for what comes next.
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Kyle Ellison is the Executive Director of Malama Kula. His family were the first people to evacuate from the Kula Fire in Upcountry, Maui—a fire that would ultimately burn 200+ acres and destroy nearly two dozen homes. Though his familyʻs home survived the flames, he, his wife, and three young children were displaced for a period of 5 months due to severe smoke damage and persistent flareups burning around the property. He and his family moved 14 times over the course of those initial five months—during which time he founded the Kula aid hub, and helped lead the initial response toward survivor support, property cleanup, and programs that would become the bedrock for future efforts toward mitigation and prevention.
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@malamakula
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