Wildfires have devastated much of Maui, Hawaii, killing over 50 people and destroying hundreds of acres of land, including most of the city of Lahaina.
Lahaina, in Maui County, is a historic city and the original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, former state representative Kaniela Ing wrote online.
Jump directly to:
“King Kamehameha’s palace is here,” wrote Ing. “Kānaka Maoli are still here, on their ancestral land from the 1880s.”
Before and after satellite imagery of Lahaina shows the extent of the damage.
What are US and California officials doing to help the people of Maui?
President Joe Biden has approved federal disaster relief for the Lahaina wildfires, meaning individuals in Maui County may have a chance at grants that provide “temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property damage, and other assistance programs” for individuals and Business owners are recovering from the disaster.”
California, too, is supporting the recovery effort, as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said he dispatched members of California’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces on Thursday to search for survivors of the fires and help with recovery efforts.
“Californiaans know firsthand the devastating effects of catastrophic wildfires, fueled by climate change, that can wipe out entire communities and centuries of irreplaceable history and heritage,” Newsom said in a statement. “Our state provides resources to support our Pacific neighbors in times of need.”
Read on if you are a Californian and want to support the people of Hawaii now. You can also skip straight to how to spot a scam fundraiser or what to do when planning a trip to Maui.
We’ll update this guide with more information as we find it.
I want to donate to Hawaii ministry
The Hawai’i Community Foundation has a fundraiser called Maui Strong on their website – which is also linked from the official Hawaii Tourism website. Find out more about the fund in this link (PDF).
Other organizations you can donate to include Maui United Way and the Maui Humane Society.
Public figures also start their own fundraisers. Hawaiian mixed martial artist Ilima-Lei Macfarlane raises funds for the Nā Wahine Toa Foundation on Instagram. You can donate through Paypal on Macfarlane’s official website.
“Full transparency, I give 100% of the donation to Lahaina-based trusted organizer Tiare Lawrence for distribution as needed,” Macfarlane wrote in the fundraiser’s description. Among the nonprofits that Macfarlane said are “giving funds immediately” to people include @ainamomona and @hawaiiancouncil on Instagram.
Businesses are also accepting food and meal donations, such as Sparky’s Food Company (which posted on Instagram on Thursday that they are temporarily halting donations to start preparing hot meals).
If you know someone in Honolulu, you can point them to the numerous community resource and supply gathering efforts. For example, on Friday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 1009 Ala Moana Blvd. a relief effort against forest fires. The Hawai’i Craft & Foodie Fest wrote on Instagram that it is looking for hygiene products, first aid kits, used clothing, blankets, towels, pillows, shoes and slippers, diapers and baby food, and canned goods.
Many community landmarks, such as the Na’aikane o Maui Cultural Center, were also burned down and are turning to Venmo for assistance.
How do I know my money is going to a legitimate Maui fundraiser? What are some signs of a scam?
Unfortunately, in times of need, it’s common for scams to surface.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez sent out an alert on Wednesday warning people to be careful about who they send their donations to. “In times of crisis, we all need to be extra vigilant about bad actors trying to exploit people’s goodwill,” Lopez said in the release.
Charities soliciting donations in Hawaii must be registered with the Attorney General’s Department. You can check the status of a charity on the official website of the Tax & Charities Division of Hawaii. You can also verify that a charity is legitimate by searching the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, Charity Navigator, and DCCA Business Search.
The Attorney General’s note also listed suspicious requests, including:
- Pressuring or urging you to make a donation.
- Ask for a donation in the form of cash or a gift card.
- Use a name that sounds like a real charity name.
- Make “lots of vague and sentimental claims, but don’t provide details about how your donation will be used.”
You can report any fraud by contacting the Tax and Charity Department at 808-586-1480 or emailing ATG.Charities@hawaii.gov.
An aerial photo taken on Aug. 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes, buildings and boats burned to the ground in Lahaina following wildfires in western Maui. (ATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
I want to help someone I know in Hawaii
I’m trying to find someone on Maui.
According to the county, you can call the American Red Cross hotline at 1-800-733-2767.
There have been citizen-led efforts to track down their loved ones who have disappeared in the fires, like this Google Sheets people locator list from Maui Fires People Locator circulating on social media.
What should I tell people about wildfire smoke?
KQED has a guide to protecting you from wildfire smoke damage as there are some steps people can take to protect their lungs from smoke pollution. Children are particularly sensitive to smoke exposure because they breathe in more air per kilogram of body weight than adults.
Tips in the guide include rinsing your nose and gargling with clean water five times a day until the smoke subsides. Cloth masks – like the ones you likely wore in the early years of the pandemic to prevent contracting COVID-19 – do not protect your lungs from the particles contained in wildfire smoke.
You can monitor air quality on websites like this page from the Hawai’i Department of Public Health or IQAir.
Is there psychological support I can recommend to family or friends on Maui?
The Maui Community Mental Health Center is expanding its hours to provide mental health services to people in need due to the wildfires. The center is located at 21 Mahalani Street in Wailuku. The clinic’s opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday there are additional consultation hours at the same times.
You can also contact the center by phone at 808-984-2150 or by email at mauiwellness@doh.hawaii.gov.
Outside of business hours, you may contact Hawai’i CARES to speak to a local crisis advisor at 808-832-3100, 1-800-753-6879 or by call/text/chat 988.
Comments are closed.