Several wildfires have broken out the week of Aug. 6th on the Hawai’ian island of Maui. The fires have been complicated by Hurricane Dora, which passed offshore but brought strong winds to Maui and made it challenging to fight the fires, with aircraft unable to fly to drop water. The fires have passed through Lahaina, a population center in West Maui with important cultural significance to Native Hawaiians.
As of Aug. 10th, 36 deaths have been reported, with dozens more injuries and nearly 300 buildings that have been confirmed damaged or destroyed. Nearly 11,000 individuals are without power, with disruptions to communications and internet infrastructure, which has brought down the 911 system. Many residents are being evacuated to Oahu, and estimated structural damage costs is in the billions. On Thursday, August 10th, President Biden has approved a federal major disaster declaration to mobilize federal funding and emergency response resources.
Please note, the below organizations are not an exhaustive list of those providing humanitarian aid; for additional information on nonprofits providing disaster response and recovery aid, please reach out to your Philanthropic Advisor directly.
Organizations
Maui Strong Fund at the Hawai’i Community Foundation
EIN 99-0261283
Maui Aloha: The People’s Response at the Hawai’i People’s Fund
EIN: 23-7250803
Maui Mutual Aid Fund, fiscally sponsored by Grants Central Station
EIN: 47-0959779
Maui Food Bank
EIN: 99-0315110
Maui Just Recovery Fund c/o Organizing Resilience
(EIN: 82-1517696)
Kako’o Maui Fund c/o Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
(EIN: 91-0313383)