CATONSVILLE, Md. — A man in Catonsville has a brother who lost his home in the recent Maui fires.
“Where he was living, and everything around him, is gone entirely," said Jerry Pilcher.
Pilcher is flying the Hawaiian flag in his Catonsville front yard; his brother, John, an ocean and a continent away.
"It's, it's devastating for the psyche," Pilcher continued. "You always look up your bring big brother, right? And not being able to reach out and touch him and hug him is tough, because you want to help somebody, you know, and especially someone in your family."
Jerry tells WMAR John now has a temporary living situation. John had retired to Lahaina years ago. He'd been a renter, and did some handiwork.
Right now, Jerry described, his brother is "hanging back and waiting for the emergency personnel to let them know that it's okay to go back."
It’s hard to look away from any of the images we’re seeing out of Hawaii right now; those crews sifting through incredible devastation. Those historic wildfires have caused widespread destruction on the island of Maui.
About a hundred people are dead, and so many there have lost everything. The amount of loss, both material and immaterial, is more than can be put into words.
"He says, 'You know, Jerry, there's people way worse off than me. There's families with kids, and they have nowhere to go,'" Pilcher added.
Jerry is thankful he can still speak with his brother. They stay in touch as much as they can, even with the limited phone service.
He started a GoFundMe for his brother, to which more than a hundred people have already donated, totaling more than $12,000 as of Wednesday.
READ MORE: Maryland residents help raise over $680,000 for Maui wildfires relief
Jerry tells WMAR he wants go back out to Hawaii, and hug his older brother again. He’s hoping he can do that soon.
