LIHU‘E — Members of the public and officials with the County of Kaua‘i are organizing to provide relief for people and businesses affected by the catastrophic Maui wildfires that have claimed at least 53 lives and sent hundreds of first responders searching for survivors.
According to a county spokesperson, three Kaua‘i officials are heading to the island to assist Maui’s Emergency Management Agency with planning, logistics and other administrative aspects of the response.
Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency Administrator Elton Ushio and Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency All Hazards Team Leader Gary Hudson left for Maui on Thursday. Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami’s Chief of Staff Sarah Blane is scheduled to head to Maui on Friday.
It has not yet been determined how long the officials will remain on Maui or whether more officials will be requested to provide further assistance.
Maui has not requested assistance from the Kaua‘i Fire Department, but fire personnel are also on standby if a need arises, according to the county spokesperson.
Kawakami said in a Wednesday statement that “Kaua‘i stands ready to assist our neighbor counties in any way possible and we’ll continue to stay in contact with officials on both islands throughout this disaster.”
The Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands, in Kekaha is also organizing efforts to provide relief.
“Our Ohana on Maui is facing unprecedented, life-threatening, and life-altering events with these wildfires. We send our deepest condolences for the lives lost in the tragedy,” said PMRF Commanding Officer Capt. Brett Stevenson in a statement.
The naval facility announced that it has set up drop-off points for item donations on base that will go to those in need, which include a drop-off site outside the entrance of the PMRF NEX convenience store.
“Anybody who has access to our installation can drop off donations at the NEX entrance,” said PMRF Public Affairs Officer Lisa Ferdinando in an interview on Thursday.
People with access include guest pass holders, veterans, retirees, and contractor employees. The facility says items most in need include nonperishable food items, rice, batteries, flashlights, toiletries, blankets, clothing, shoes and children’s toys.
Ferdinando said PMRF has coordinated its collection efforts with its Public Works Department, which is the “central point” for handling the PMRF donation efforts.
Stevenson encouraged others looking to donate to “seek out one of the many available charities that are contributing directly to the relief efforts on Maui.”
The Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i is also assisting with efforts and has established a Business Relief Fund to help local businesses impacted by the wildfires.
“We just felt that it was important to — understanding that this will have an impact on our local businesses — that it was important to set up a fund immediately to raise funds to help them in the recovery stage,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, the organization’s president and CEO, in an interview on Thursday.
The organization set up a GoFundMe page on Wednesday and has raised about $15,000 so far, according to Menor-McNamara. She noted the organization is hoping to surpass its GoFundMe goal of $100,000, saying it would be great if the fund could raise a million dollars. She added that 100 percent of the profits would go to impacted businesses.
“We just want to raise the funds as fast as we can. And then after that, assess what the needs are of businesses by working with Maui Chamber, working with the Chamber on Hawaii Island, working with the legislators, as well as working with our small businesses that were impacted to determine the best way to use those funds,” she said.
“So the exact way we’re going to disperse it is not yet determined until we can ensure that we get all the information possible of what the needs are, and then give out the money.”
Menor-McNamara also recommended donating to organizations, including Hawaii Community Foundation, the American Red Cross, Maui Humane Society, and Aloha United Way.
“There are so many other fundraisers. It’s just doing the due diligence that it’s a legitimate fund,” she said.
Other local efforts on Kaua‘i include one spearheaded by Larry Feinstein of the Kaua‘i Beer Company, who said this is a time for action as he watched the impromptu collection of donated relief items being set up in the entry hallway of “the place between work and home” on Thursday.
“We have a large ‘Maui Donations’ sign being made as we speak,” Feinstein said. “It won’t be here until later in the afternoon. We’ll probably be set up properly by tomorrow morning. We’re scrambling to respond, quickly. This is a time to act.”
Feinstein said he was impressed with how people banded together to help each other in the wake of Hurricane Iniki in 1992. He referred to the Maui wildfires as “unbelievable disaster.”
“It’s our turn to step up and help. Imagine yourself with just the clothes on your back. People on Maui need everything — food, clothing, things for the kids to do — everything. They don’t have anything,” he said.
Feinstein said the campaign is just starting, and for now, the Kaua‘i Beer Company is accepting physical items only, including clean clothes for any age, toiletries, medical supplies, diapers and baby wipes, bedding, footwear, canned foods, tents, cots and sleeping pads, air mattress, chairs, camp stoves, flashlights and school supplies. Monetary contributions should be made through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Maui Strong campaign.
Meagan Fox, executive director of Malama Kaua‘i, said customers who buy Maui products from KauaiLocalFood.com website will have money from those sales donated to Maui fire victims.
“When the floods ravaged Kaua‘i in 2018, our Maui ‘ohana was there for us, sending cash donations and even two containers worth of supplies we couldn’t get here on-island,” said Fox in her solicitation letter. “The aloha was deep, and we felt it. Watching the fires rage on Maui is heartbreaking, and we wanted to find a quick way to send love to those impacted by this horrific disaster.
“For the entire month of August, buy Maui products to boost sales for their farm and food businesses. All profits will be routed directly to local families who lost their homes in the fire. We will be working through folks directly on the ground with local victims — no big organizations, and no overhead.”
Currently, KauaiLocalFood.com has a variety of Pono Pies, ‘Ulu Hummus, and Mac Nut Oil with more Maui products being added. These can be found in the “Maui Products Fundraiser” section at the top of Kaua‘iLocalFood.com.
For those wishing to make financial contributions for the Maui disaster, in addition to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, customers of American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawai‘i, Central Pacific Bank, Finance Factors, and First Hawaiian Bank — all members of the Hawai‘i Bankers Association — can contribute at any of the branches on Kaua‘i as part of the Aloha for Maui campaign that was launched by the Hawai‘i Bankers Association on Thursday.
The collected monies will be donated to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation “Maui Strong Fund,” which is providing the resources necessary to aid with disaster response and recovery. To launch the effort, the Hawai‘i Bankers Association is donating $25,000 to the fund.
“The members of the Hawai‘i Bankers Association are deeply saddened by the devastation on Maui caused by the wildfires,” said HBA President Bryan Luke in a statement. “Our employees, customers, and families call these communities home, and we are committed to helping them recover and rebuild. By bringing our network of branches together, we hope to make it easy for those wanting to help our neighbors on Maui by providing a secure option to donate.”
