How to Help Hawaii Residents Displaced by Maui Wildfires Lyric Li and Natalie B. Compton - The Washington Post
go to original August 10, 2023

Chilling footage shows aftermath of Maui wildfires: "Everything's burnt to a crisp" (New York Post)

Update: Hawaii Residents Search for Missing Loved Ones With 55 Confirmed Dead and the Toll Likely to Rise (Washington Post)

Thousands of residents and visitors have been forced to evacuate to escape the devastating wildfires in Maui. As of Wednesday night local time, 36 people had died, Maui County officials said. Cultural landmarks in Lahaina, at one time the royal capital of Hawaii, are also in peril. Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green (D) estimated the flames have already caused billions of dollars in damage and could exacerbate the state’s existing housing shortage.

Watching news coverage and social media posts pour out of Maui, people around the world are feeling the tragedy secondhand.

While the internet has been a helpful source of information gathering and sharing, it can also be confusing, particularly for outsiders looking for ways to make donations.

Attorney General Anne Lopez shared tips such as donating directly through a charity’s website and only making donations through secured websites (you’ll see a small lock icon in the address bar), and linked to a pamphlet with more information and resources.

We’ve also gathered some reputable organizations accepting donations to help those affected by the wildfires:

• The Office of the Governor of Hawaii has directed donors to the Hawaii Community Foundation.
• Verified fundraisers on GoFundMe are raising money to help residents rebuild and recover.
• Shoppers in Hawaii can make donations of up to $249 at their nearest Foodland, which is accepting donations at checkout to support the American Red Cross.
• The Maui Mutual Aid Fund is accepting donations to support Maui families, elderly residents, people with disabilities and those with limited or no insurance.
• Aloha United Way, a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization, has created the Maui Relief Fund that will go directly toward efforts supporting victims of the fires.
• The Salvation Army’s Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division is accepting donations to provide meals for thousands displaced in Maui emergency shelters.
• The Maui Food Bank is providing meals for thousands of displaced residents.
• The Hawaii Restaurant Association is organizing donations and volunteer efforts on Maui and Oahu. You can sign up to join relief efforts on Maui here, or fill in forms to help evacuees transported to Oahu here.

Read the rest at Washington Post

Related: How to Avoid Scams if You Want to Donate Money to the Victims of the Wildfires in Hawaii (AS USA)

Related: Help Is Desperately Needed in Hawaii. Here’s What You Can Do (CNN Impact Your World)

Related: What We Know About the Cause of the Maui Wildfires (Washington Post)

Related: Nonprofits Confront Their Own Climate Perils (Philanthropy.com)