Help is badly needed in Hawaii after the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years burned out of control across the Big Island and Maui.
Strong winds associated with Hurricane Dora fanned the flames, knocking out local communication and destroying thousands of homes and historic buildings, including Lahaina town, the popular Maui tourist destination and former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Thousands have evacuated or been displaced and nearly 100 people have been killed. Search and recovery efforts are still ongoing, but local officials warn that the death toll will likely rise as crews sift through more of the rubble.
If you need help locating a missing person due to the wildfires, the American Red Cross recommends the following:
- Please call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767, select Option 4.) Follow the voice prompts for “Hawaii Wildfires.”
- Provide as much detail as possible to assist in potentially locating your missing loved one.
- The call volume is high & callers are experiencing longer than normal wait times
If you are in the disaster area, you can let others know you are OK by making yourself “I’m safe” in the Red Cross Emergency app.
Hawaii Community Foundation
- Immediately set up the Maui Strong Fund to solicit donations for fire relief. In less than a week, the fund has received $27M from over 100,000 donors in more than 40 countries.
Regenerative Education Centers
- You can donate to the nonprofit’s Maui relief fund at Regenerative Education Centers (REC). Eddy and his husband Sam Garcia run a sustainable farm on the south side of Lahaina and Living Earth Systems, a nonprofit that teaches regenerative agriculture. The farm was heavily damaged by the fires, but still offers generators, solar power, plumbing, food and the shade of mango trees as an off-the-grid shelter for displaced residents.
Third Wave Volunteers
- Third Wave Volunteers has sent a team of medics to ground zero. They are going door-to-door in Lahaina offering medical assistance. They’re also delivering supplies to those who need them. You can donate to their Maui efforts here.
Alohilani Resort
- The resort in Waikiki has launched a Love Maui fund, where anyone can donate to support Maui families impacted by the wildfires. The hotel has also organized Amplified, a benefit concert on the evening of Saturday, August 26 as a fundraiser.
You can click HERE to support CNN’s Impact Your World which will donate contributions and continue to monitor the situation with updates on more ways to help.
(Photo, YouTube; via CNN, Forbes)
