Wildfires in Maui Hawaii forcing evacuations

[Vash01]

https://wapo.st/444Tfkn

Very tragic.

Gifted article

ETA- I feel sad, like I am in mourning. In my whole life I have spent less than three weeks in Maui. It is odd to feel so attached to a place.

My niece and I were reminiscing earlier. In April when we visited Maui, we had dinner at the Kool Kat restaurant. (I posted photos on Facebook).

We ate fresh fruit in carved pineapple at one of the small shops. I am sure they are all gone.

We never made it to the Lahaina bakery; she really wanted to eat their Portuguese donuts. The bakery is gone.

I had bought a book 'Lahaina' for my 5 year old great niece at the store in the Heritage Museum building that is next to the Banyan tree. That building is completely ruined.

We boarded the dinner cruise boat as well as the Snorkeling boat there. Now there are no boats and only burnt cars on that street.

They will rebuild, I am sure. This is such a tough time for them though. I mourn for the people there.

 

[Vash01]

Maui fires live updates: Death toll rises to 55 as Hawaii battles blazes

The latest news and live updates on the wildfires scorching Maui. Get updates as thousands evacuate Hawaii, navigating smoke, power outages and fire damage.

www.nbcnews.com

ETA- some tidbits of news

Cruise ships will not be allowed to the harbor till Aug 31 (paraphrasing)

Oprah (she has a house in Maui) handed out pillows to people on cots in a shelter. She bought the necessities from Walmart and Costco.

Jeff Bezos said he would make a donation.

Good news- the Banyan tree, though charred, is still standing. It has so many trunks and branches that something has to survive. More important if the roots are alive, it will grow again.

 

[CantALoop]

Our close friends we just visited in California are in Hawaii and we can’t remember where. My husband has been trying to reach them for two days with no answer.

Do they have any recent social media posts? If so, what towns/locations were they at? Hopefully, they weren't on Maui.

If you know they're on Maui, you can inquire on this list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RgqVbUdwPnJkBolBc-eFFlJE/htmlview?usp=sharing

 

[Cachoo]

A man and woman and five children: https://youtu.be/TLIhqXsI3-g

 

[PRlady]

We heard from our friends and they’re ok.

 

[attyfan]

We heard from our friends and they’re ok.

Thank G-d! Glad to hear this!

 

[Vash01]

We heard from our friends and they’re ok.

Happy to hear this.

 

[Vash01]

Death toll 67 now and likely to climb, after they check inside the charred buildings.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Omg, they just passed a body by…. How difficult. I would have argued to stop and get her but who know if I would’ve felt the same if I really was in that situation. Heartbreaking.

 

[genevieve]

My friend has been reunited with her partner. Somehow, their house is still standing, while all around them homes are gone. AND all 4 of their cats are alive/safe . She even found the car she had to abandon and it's not burnt to a crisp, somehow. They are super grateful, feeling extremely lucky, and will be starting a GFM for friends who have lost everything when they are more able to (they have running water but no power, and spotty cell service).

 

[Buzz]

Death toll is said to be up to 80 now. Unimaginable horror

 

[Vash01]

Death toll is said to be up to 80 now. Unimaginable horror

Those poor people! I wish I could go there to help, but that could be an impediment at this time. All I can do is donate money. It will be a bucket in the ocean, but every little bit helps.

 

[Judy]

Those poor people! I wish I could go there to help, but that could be an impediment at this time. All I can do is donate money. It will be a bucket in the ocean, but every little bit helps.

It definitely does. We’re donating too in Canada but I’m sure there are tons of other countries too.

 

[Vash01]

I have a photo 'Maui sunset' on Etsy, to sell as photo prints. I have not sold any, but if it gets sold, I would like to donate the proceeds to Maui victims. I recently joined a fb group Neiborhood community. I may advertise it there. I also have a painting of the same scene and I could do the same with it. Trying to come up with ideas to donate. Of course donating money is the easiest.

I was thinking this morning that I could go to Costco.com and order necessities like bottled water, no perishable food items, etc. to be shipped directly to the Maui organizations that are helping the local refugees.

After all the thinking I always come to the same conclusion. Sending money is the easiest way to help, but will the money get used to help the victims or will a part of it get used to pay salaries of the organization?

 

[Oreo]

My son was just at one of the 5-star resorts north of Lahaina with his wife and kids. They're now in Honolulu. His description of the other hotel guests sounded like something out of the White Lotus. People were continuing to play golf, some were blithely asking for "fresh towels," and one woman was complaining "what do you mean the luau is canceled?" Loads of people were carrying on that "my vacation is ruined!" Power was off and running low, as were the food supplies. There were only a few outlets that were working on the emergency power, and teenagers had command of some of them to continue playing their games without regard for those who wanted to charge their phones. Meanwhile, family members of some of the hotel staff were filling up the corridors. For those who might think all these people were Americans, they weren't. My son said some of the biggest whiners and complainers were from other countries (whose nationalities I won't reveal). Airlines were reducing their fares to $19 to Kona just to get people out of there, and scoring a cheap airfare seemed to make some people happy.My son said he asked the hotel general manager how he was doing, and he replied, "you are the first to ask." Along those lines, a woman called into a radio station where I live to say she worked at one of the high-end wineries in Napa when they had a big fire. With a big fireball bearing down on them, some customers refused to leave, saying "they weren't finished with their wine tasting!"

 

[Vash01]

My son was just at one of the 5-star resorts north of Lahaina with his wife and kids. They're now in Honolulu. His description of the other hotel guests sounded like something out of the White Lotus. People were continuing to play golf, some were blithely asking for "fresh towels," and one woman was complaining "what do you mean the luau is canceled?" Loads of people were carrying on that "my vacation is ruined!" Power was off and running low, as were the food supplies. There were only a few outlets that were working on the emergency power, and teenagers had command of some of them to continue playing their games without regard for those who wanted to charge their phones. Meanwhile, family members of some of the hotel staff were filling up the corridors. For those who might think all these people were Americans, they weren't. My son said some of the biggest whiners and complainers were from other countries (whose nationalities I won't reveal). Airlines were reducing their fares to $19 to Kona just to get people out of there, and scoring a cheap airfare seemed to make some people happy.My son said he asked the hotel general manager how he was doing, and he replied, "you are the first to ask." Along those lines, a woman called into a radio station where I live to say she worked at one of the high-end wineries in Napa when they had a big fire. With a big fireball bearing down on them, some customers refused to leave, saying "they weren't finished with their wine tasting!"

Shocking. How can people be so self centered and heartless?

On another note, I was thinking that the catastrophe must hurt other afeas of Maui too, even areas that were not impacted by the fires. The area I had stayed at twice (Kaanapali) appears to be safe but I am sure they are not getting customers now, because people won't be going there for a while. I have a feeling that the Royal Lahaina resort is safe, since I have not heard about it. Still, their business will be hurt.

ETA- I discovered last night that despite its name, the Royal Lahaina resort is actually in Kaanapali. That area had some power outages but the fire did not reach there.

 

[CantALoop]

I have a photo 'Maui sunset' on Etsy, to sell as photo prints. I have not sold any, but if it gets sold, I would like to donate the proceeds to Maui victims. I recently joined a fb group Neiborhood community. I may advertise it there. I also have a painting of the same scene and I could do the same with it. Trying to come up with ideas to donate. Of course donating money is the easiest.

I was thinking this morning that I could go to Costco.com and order necessities like bottled water, no perishable food items, etc. to be shipped directly to the Maui organizations that are helping the local refugees.

After all the thinking I always come to the same conclusion. Sending money is the easiest way to help, but will the money get used to help the victims or will a part of it get used to pay salaries of the organization?

Mahalo/thank you @Vash01 , that's really thoughtful of you, and even more kudos for caring where your donations actually go.

Here are some reputable charities in Hawai'i with dedicated funds for Maui:
Hawai‘i Community Foundation MAUI STRONG FUND
Aloha United Way - Maui Fire Relief Fund

Maui Nui Strong
This site has a list of smaller organizations, e.g., the Maui Food Bank, Maui Humane Society, etc.. The smaller and more local the organization, the better chances your donation goes directly to those affected.

I personally avoid the Red Cross. What their workers and volunteers do is fantastic and generous. However, the organization itself has a reputation for not giving donations directly to victims, or they may hold onto the money for other disasters. But if anybody believes in them, don't let me stop you.

I also avoid GoFundMe unless I know someone IRL or someone I know can personally vouch for the family. Grifters are notorious for taking advantage of disasters like this.

 

[Oreo]

On another note, I was thinking that the catastrophe must hurt that Maui in other ways too, even to areas that were not impacted by the fires. The area I had stayed at twice (Kaanapali) appears to be safe but I am sure they are not getting customers now, because people won't be going there for a while. I have a feeling that the Royal Lahaina resort is safe, since I have not heard about it. Still, their business will be hurt.

People should stay away from Maui until the islanders say it's okay to return. Resources are going to be thin for awhile, so go elsewhere in Hawaii. I went through a horrendous fire some years ago in a resort town in California, and one of the worst things was when the police let the general public back in. People were jamming the roads coming into town with their video cams hanging out their car windows taking pictures of the destruction, and meanwhile you couldn't get across town to even buy a mop to clean up. As far as I know on Maui, the Royal Lahaina resort didn't burn down, but the Pioneer Inn did.

 

[Vash01]

That's a really thoughtful way to help Vash01, here are some reputable charities in Hawai'i:
Hawai‘i Community Foundation MAUI STRONG FUND
Aloha United Way - Maui Fire Relief Fund
This site has a list of smaller organizations, e.g., the Maui Food Bank, Maui Humane Society, etc.. The smaller and more local the organization, the better chances your donation goes directly to those affected.
Maui Nui Strong

I personally avoid the Red Cross. What their workers and volunteers do is fantastic and generous. However, the organization itself has a reputation for not giving donations directly to victims, or they may hold onto the money for other disasters. But if anybody believes in them, don't let me stop you.

I also avoid GoFundMe unless I know someone IRL or someone I know can personally vouch for the family. Grifters are notorious for taking advantage of disasters like this.

Thanks so much!

I know Goodwill does not give donated goods directly to the needy. They sell them and their high officers have high salaries. I still donate to their local offices just because it is convenient.

So far I have donated to just one organization. Tried to donate to Maui United Way but I think they were overloaded. Will try the links you posted.

I want the Maui victims to receive as much of the donations as possible. I can't even imagine what they must be going through. They must have spent a normal day on Tuesday/Wednesday, and In the evening they were running for their lives, with just the clothes they had on. Many even lost their lives. Many lost their homes and/or businesses.

 

[Vash01]

People should stay away from Maui until the islanders say it's okay to return. Resources are going to be thin for awhile, so go elsewhere in Hawaii. I went through a horrendous fire some years ago in a resort town in California, and one of the worst things was when the police let the general public back in. People were jamming the roads coming into town with their video cams hanging out their car windows taking pictures of the destruction, and meanwhile you couldn't get across town to even buy a mop to clean up. As far as I know on Maui, the Royal Lahaina resort didn't burn down, but the Pioneer Inn did.

IIRC, Pioneer Inn was right in the middle of the shopping area, which was almost completely destroyed.

Royal Lahaina was at least 2-3 miles from it.

 

[BittyBug]

I anyone comes upon a wildlife rescue / rehabilitation agency that is helping, please share the name. Thank you.

 

[CantALoop]

I anyone comes upon a wildlife rescue / rehabilitation agency that is helping, please share the name. Thank you.

We don't have native land mammals - if there are any animals that usually need rehabilitation, it's our birds, many of which are critically endangered and only found here.

I had to ask around - there isn't any real one-stop shop for wildlife rehab or conservation, a lot of them specialize in only certain things like birds, plants, mollusca and many are linked to the Hawai'i State Goverment or University of Hawai'i, but it's hard to donate directly to specific causes through them.

The Maui Bird Conservation Center has critically endangered birds that are native to those dry areas, and they had a really close call but were luckily able to beat back the flames before they reached the barns. They don't seem to have a specific wildfire fund yet, but I'm sure they were preoccupied with rescuing and protecting the last of these birds.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a major force in reef and ocean conservation there, and one of their labs burned down in the blaze. They're holding a fundraiser specifically for that lab.

 

[DORISPULASKI]

The historic Waiola Church where the church graveyard is the final resting place for early members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii was destroyed.

About the church:

No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey, you are welcome to be a part of Waiola Church of Lahaina, "The First Christian Church on Maui".

Whether you are a life-long Christian or are engaging your faith for the very first time, there is a place for you in this faith community!

. Services are a mixture of Hawaiian and English language and song. If you want to know the full beauty of a hymn, hear it in Hawaiian.

https://www.waiolachurch.org/page/history

The church just had its 200th birthday. It is a UCC church, founded by the first missionaries to Maui.

It is not the first time the Waiola church was destroyed. I hope they will be able to rebuild. The website says they are permanently closed, so they may not be up to it.

There is a contact form on their website, so we will be asking what their plans are.

 

[Vash01]

Death toll at 89. All are unidentified, as of now.

Maui fires live updates: Death toll rises as search for missing goes on

The Maui wildfires death toll rose as residents returned to Lahaina and the search for the missing went on in Hawaii. It is likely the largest natural disaster in the state’s history.

www.nbcnews.com

The Governor said the wind were so strong that nothing could be done.

 

[Vash01]

Donations are coming in. Norwegian Cruise Line has donated $50k. Metallica's nonprofit (?) has donated $200k.

Oahu is trying to help house some people that lost homes.

FEMA estimates $5.5 B to rebuild.

The hardest part must be for people who cannot reach their relatives. They don't know if their loved ones are safe.

Apparently the luxury resorts that are about 3 miles from Lahaina survived. The fire did not touch them. I am glad that they are safe, but I am heart broken that the poor little town was destroyed. They got the worst of it.

This is The latest link I have found.

Maui fires live updates: Death toll rises as search for missing goes on

The Maui wildfires death toll rose as residents returned to Lahaina and the search for the missing went on in Hawaii. It is likely the largest natural disaster in the state’s history.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[MacMadame]

I anyone comes upon a wildlife rescue / rehabilitation agency that is helping, please share the name. Thank you.

It's not wildlife but it is animals. the Maui Humane Society has a donation page

Donate - Maui Humane Society

Donate today to save the lives of Maui's homeless animals! Whether you decide to give a one-time donation or monthly to a specific fund, your support is life-saving!

www.mauihumanesociety.org

 

[TOADS]

My brother has the itinerary from our 2 month trip to Hawaii in 1964. He confirmed that we stayed at the Pioneer Inn in July of that year. The Banyan tree was almost next door where my Mom spent many hours sitting in the shade and reading. I can recall how my dad would bring her a mug of hot coffee from the Inn since in those days they did not have cups for takeout like they do today.

 

[Vash01]

My brother has the itinerary from our 2 month trip to Hawaii in 1964. He confirmed that we stayed at the Pioneer Inn in July of that year. The Banyan tree was almost next door where my Mom spent many hours sitting in the shade and reading. I can recall how my dad would bring her a mug of hot coffee from the Inn since in those days they did not have cups for takeout like they do today.

The Pioneer Inn was 122 years old. Another historic landmark gone.

 

[Vash01]

HI Senator Mazie Hirono is being interviewed on cnn.

CNN coverage of Maui crisis has been much better than msnbc, where it is almost an afterthought.

Current death toll is 93 and they have checked only 3 percent of the area (if ABC is right about this).

 

[Vash01]

Dan Rather article to uplift the spirits through a mountain song by a Hawaiian singer.

The Mountain’s Voice

A song for Maui

open.substack.com

ETA - you can watch/hear the song at the end of the article. It Is very soothing.