Dwayne Johnson, Oprah launch multi-million dollar fund for Maui fire victims

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson

Two of the biggest names in show business have joined forces to help the victims of the Maui wildfires.

In response to the devastating Maui wildfires and immediate needs in the community, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson announced the establishment of “People’s Fund of Maui” to distribute cash directly to those who were displaced and affected by the fire. 

The fund is launching with an initial $10 million donated by Winfrey and Johnson and a call to action for others to contribute to this meaningful and ongoing relief effort.

“I have been meeting with people throughout the community that were impacted by the fires over the last few weeks, asking what they most needed and how I could be of service,” said Winfrey, former talk show host and head of a media empire that includes magazines, a production company and a television network. 

    RELATED:

• Hawaii's historic structures destroyed by fire
• Biden promises Lahaina will be rebuilt 

“The main thing I’ve been hearing is their concern about how to move forward under the immense financial burden," said Winfrey, who owns an estate on the island. "The community has come together in so many wonderful ways, and my intention is to support those impacted as they determine what rebuilding looks like for them.”

Any Maui resident 18 years or older who was displaced by the wildfires that swept the areas of Lahaina and Kula on the island of Maui can receive $1,200 each month for at least six months to help assist them as they get back on their feet. All net proceeds will go to those directly impacted.

Collaborating closely with an advisory board and support from the local community and respected elders, this new fund will serve as a bridge to provide cash directly to the families and individuals affected so that they can personally determine how best to use the funds for themselves.

"As people around the world watched the catastrophic loss and devastation caused by the Maui wildfires, they also witnessed the great spirit and resilience of our Polynesian culture and the tremendous strength of the people of Maui. Even in the most difficult of times, the people of Maui come together, and we rise - that’s what makes us stronger,” said Johnson, who lived in Hawaii when he was younger. 

“We are beyond grateful to be working alongside esteemed community leaders of Maui to launch the People's Fund of Maui. These leaders are offering their guidance to ensure our fund can put money directly in the hands of those individuals most affected," said the movie star, who is of Samoan and Black heritage.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

The search for the missing continues three weeks after the fire started.

The fire's start is still being investigated but initially the culprit appears to be sparking powerlines. Hurricane-level winds helped spread the fire quickly on August 8 causing an evacuation of the seaside town of Lahaina. The death toll from the wildfires that decimated most of the historic and tourist favorite town stands at 115 but that number is likely to rise. There are still 385 unaccounted individuals.

As the fires spread tourists were advised not to come to Maui but as recovery begins, tourists are again being encouraged to visit. Although Lahaina had been mostly reduced to ashes, other parts of the island are still operating. Tourism is the island's main industry and source of employment.

Hawaii's US Senator Brian Schatz, posted on social media: “Maui update. South Maui resorts (Lahaina is West Maui) NEED visitors. Furloughs and layoffs starting because people think the whole island is closed. It is not. If you are planning a trip to Wailea or Kihei, don’t cancel. If you want to come to Hawaii pls consider South Maui.”

"To all who have already offered your help, thank you for your support and for those wanting to help now, your prayers and resources are a welcome assistance for those displaced within the Maui community," said Johnson. "I also want to offer my profound gratitude to all the first responders, local organizations and every individual who has worked tirelessly on the ground responding to this crisis.”

    FYI:

• To contribute to People’s Fund of Maui visit PeoplesFundofMaui.org. All net proceeds will go to those directly impacted in Maui.
• Impacted residents can visit the website for more information HERE.

The creation of the fund was done with guidance, insights, and the blessing of community elders, leaders and residents including Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla, Keali’i Reichel, Archie Kalepa, Ekolu Lindsey, Kimo Falconer, Tiare Lawrence, Kaimana Brummel, Kaleikoa Ka’eo, Brian Keaulana, Kaimi Kaneholani, Henohea Kāne, Paele Kiakona, Ed Suwanjindar, Shep Gordon and Jason Momoa.

The $10 million is just a start. The initial funding is being provided by Oprah Winfrey through the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, and Johnson.

“And our goal is to be able to give people money regularly for at least the next six months so that they will be able to make decisions for themselves and be able to have some sense of value for what they can bring to themselves and to their families," Johnson told NBC. "We will continue the fund for as long as you help us continue the fund.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Maui's housing crisis made worse; governor cautions locals against selling their ash-covered land

Entire neighborhoods were lost in the fires that ravaged Lāhainā.

Thousands of Maui residents lost their homes in the wildfires that decimated parts of Maui last week and wonder where they will live as the island slowly recovers.

Gov. Josh Green wants to hold up any land sales as Maui recovers from the tragedy that ravaged the homes of workers who are employed in the tourist industry, hotels and restaurants.

“We’re short on housing here,” Mike Cicchino told CNN. His family is staying in Kihei after the fire encroaching on his Lāhainā home forced him to take refuge along the seawall for 12 hours. “We just went through a nightmare, and we’re about to go through another nightmare trying to, basically, not stay homeless.”

RELATED: Hawaii's historical sites up in smoke

Like most of his neighbors and co-workers, there are no homes to return to after the hurricane force winds ravaged much of Lāhainā and other parts of Maui last week. The death toll from the devastating blazes is at 111 and the search is only half-way through from the worst US wildfire disaster in the last century. 

About 37% of the island's population is Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Filipinos at 17% comprise the largest AAPI subgroup. Whites make up about 33%.

Housing costs and availability were a critical issue before the fires driving many residents to leave the island and the state. The lost of so many homes made the affordable housing shortage even more critical.

Housing crisis made worse

Officials estimate that 86% of the more than 2000 Lāhainā structures that burned down in Lāhainā were homes, many housing the workers in the tourist and service industry, the town's main industry that brings in millions of visitors every year.

The median price of a Maui home pre-fire was $1.2 million, putting a single-family home out of reach for many of the local workers. Even a median condominium costs $850,000.

Hawaii has the highest cost of living index in the US. A family of four making less than $93,000 in Hawaii is considered low-income. And Maui County is one of the country’s most rent-burdened places, with more than half of renters spends upward of 30% of their income on housing. Around Lāhainā, residents rent takes up 50% of the family income.

Symbolic of the worsening housing shortage was the loss of Kaiāulu o Kupuohi, a new four-story affordable rental building in the Lahaina Business Park. It had its grand opening in December of 2022 and was home for 89 families all of whom were safely evacuated a week ago as the wind-driven fires swept across the seaside town.

Lost to the fires was the Kaiāulu o Kupuohi housing complex opened its doors last December.

Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii’s Future, a nonprofit organization that advocates for more housing in Hawaii, says many of the affordable housing that was burned down in Lāhainā have been in the hands of local families for generations.

Another factor affecting housing availability is gentrification, says Higa in an  interview by the Maui News. “So a lot of more recent arrivals — typically from the American mainland who have more money and can buy homes at a higher price — were to some extent displacing local families in Lāhainā,” Higa says. It’s a phenomenon he has seen all along Maui’s west coast where a modest starter home two decades ago now sells for $1 million.

"We want Lāhainā to be a part of Hawaii forever,” the governor said during a recent visit to the seaside town of Lāhainā. “We don’t want it to be another example of people being priced out of paradise.”

Days after the fire, people have been approaching Maui homeowners who lost their houses. Maui residents burnt out of their homes are being approached about selling fire-damaged home sites, by people posing as real estate agents trying to take advantage of the fire victims' fragile emotional state by offering the lure of quick money to survive the next few years while replacement homes are being built.

“I’ve reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed,” said Gov. Green. “Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.”

“We are disheartened to hear that survivors of this catastrophe are being approached by unscrupulous persons whose only goal is to prey upon them," says Esther Brown, Complaints and Enforcement Officer for the Regulated Industries Complaints Office.

"If someone approaches you with a deal or offer, and you did not reach out to them first, please hang up the phone or walk away," she says. "Chances are high that unsolicited deals are not a legitimate operation or part of the federal, state, county and private partnership working to assist those affected."

Prospective buyers may or may not be licensed professionals and may withhold or misrepresent vital information and details during a transaction. Realtors are prohibited from making misrepresentations, false promises, and engaging in fraudulent or dishonest dealings. RICO works with the Real Estate Commission to regulate real estate licensees.

Search for housing now 

In the meantime, state agencies and local nonprofits have been rushing to find housing for the thousands who have lost their homes and have been staying in temporary emergency shelters.

“This is a critical situation and time is of the essence,” Green said in a news release. 

The state secured nearly 2,000 units at hotels and vacation rentals and launched an online program to help residents find potential housing.

The Hawai’i Fire Relief Housing program opened earlier this week to connect Maui residents affected by the fires with property owners who volunteered to provide fire victims with rooms, dwelling units, houses and other accommodations immediately

“I am asking the people of Hawai’i to consider making this significant sacrifice to help our neighbors, many of whom have lost everything they owned in a matter of minutes. Let’s show the rest of the world the meaning of aloha,” said Green.

Connecting to the Hawai'i Fire Relief Housing program:

• For help via phone, call (808) 587-0469. Staff is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, including weekends.

• The public may also email staff at hhfdcfirereliefhousing@hawaii.gov.

“I’ll also tell you that this is going to impact how we view, because of tragedy, how we view all of the development in our state," said Gov. Green in a news conference. "And much of what we do, is challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that don’t let us restrict who can buy in our state. But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and that’s what we’re doing. 

"So for my part I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lāhainā should be in the future.”

Such proclamations from government officials are viewed with suspicion by long-time Maui residents. “This is an opportunity for our government to step in and make right by the people who have been wronged for so long,” Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, a Maui County Council member and Native Hawaiian, told the Washington Post. “This shouldn’t be a land grab.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Hawaii's historical structures destroyed in Maui fires

Lahaina's Front Street looking north

The wildfire that destroyed Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui has claimed 93 lives, making it the most destructive fire in the US in over a century. The death toll is expected to rise as workers comb the charred ruins.

As I scan the video footage and photos of what is left of Lahaina, I search for familiar stores and gathering spots. Only the waves lapping against the sea wall remains the same.

The rest of the Lahaina Town is reduced to ashes and rubble by the fire that ripped through the community  beginning Tuesday, Aug. 8.

President Biden declared Maui fires a national disaster Thursday (Aug. 10), ordering all federal agencies, including the military, to assist firefighting and recovery efforts.

Lahaina is prominent in the history of Hawaii. King Kamehameha I made Lahaina the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1802. 

Much of Hawaii's heritage has been reduced to ashes, including:

• The 200-year-old Waiola Church, Hawaii's first Christian church where some of Hawaii's royalty are buried.

• Lahaina Jodo Mission, which was established in a private house in 1912 to propagate Buddhism in Lahaina. The temple moved to its present location in 1931.

• Na Aikana Cultural Center, which occupies a building that once served as a soup kitchen for plantation workers during an ILWU strike against the Pioneer Mill.

• Pioneer Inn, built in 1901 by George Alan Freeland.

• The Baldwin Home Museum, the oldest home on the island, built between 1834 and 1835 for missionaries Dwight Baldwin and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin.

• The Wo HIng Museum and Cookhouse, The current structure was restored in 1912, but the original building was built in the early 19th century.

• The Old Lahaina Courthouse, which opened in 1860 as a customs house for whaling and trade ships as well as a center for government offices and court functions during the monarchy period.

Miraculously, Maria Lanakila Catholic Church and its rectory are still standing. The church school suffered minor damage. Maria Lanakila, which means Our Lady of Victory, was established in 1846, according to the church’s website. 

Originally consisting of an adobe building with grass hut chapels, the modern stone structure was finished in 1873. The buildings next door to the church were burned down completely.

ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIANS

About 40% of Lahaina's year-round population of 13,000 are of Asian descent and 5% was Native Hawaiian. Whites made up about 35% and the next largest group were of mixed racial heritage. 

Filipino Americans make up the largest Asian subgroup in Maui. According to Kit Zulueta Furukawa, director of the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, hundreds of Filipinos are among the 1,000 people still unaccounted for, said Furukawa.

"Filipinos are a significant number of Lahaina’s population. We lost quite a few people, and a lot of our fellow Filipinos lost everything or a considerable amount of their housing and possessions," said Filipino American state Senator Gilbert Keith Agaran.

As of this morning, 89 people have perished in the multiple Maui blazes. Most of the fatalities were found in the three-mile stretch that defined what was downtown Lahaina. 

The number of dead is expected to rise as workers comb through the rubble that was once the home of Hawaiian royalty and has become a bustling tourist hub. 

A curfew will be in place from 10 pm-6 am daily in Historic Lahaina Town and affected areas.

The 150-year old banyan tree is charred (it’s said that if the roots are healthy, it will likely grow back, but it looks burned yet standing).

CURRENT CONDITIONS

The following news updates are courtesy of the Maui Information Guide.

• The road towards Lahaina: Honoapiilani Hwy (30) is closed again.
• The new fire in Ka’anapali is contained. The smaller fire in Haiku is out.
• 80 fatalities – We expect this number to rise dramatically with more search and rescue. So far, it’s the deadliest wildfire in the US since 2018 in California, but it’ll likely exceed it now that we have residents and crews returning to assess damages.
• Hospitals are NOT Overwhelmed – Rumors are circulating that Maui Memorial, Kula Hospital, and Lanai Community Hospital are overwhelmed, which is untrue.  They responded that they have ample capacity.  Do not avoid the ER.
• 100’s of pet fatalities – The fires came so quickly, it’s still unknown how many pets were lost.
• 1,418 people at 6 shelters – Many more have been displaced but are staying with friends and family.
• At least 2,207 structures were affected or completely destroyed. – These numbers will go up as we get a proper count.
• 10’s of thousands have left Maui – Both visitors and residents are leaving for Oahu and the mainland.
• 100’s of businesses burned – And 1000’s will be majorly affected or closed permanently.
• Most schools are still closed – And many businesses across the island have closed in an effort to have employees assist in aid.

Maui and the Big Island have had some terrible fires since Tuesday evening. Even though Lahaina has been the most devastating, keep in mind there are many major fires across Maui (not just the west side). 

 

Lahaina is said to be 85% contained, but remember that it was said to be 100% contained hours before it flared up and destroyed the entire town.

 

Pūlehu/Kihei is said to be 70% contained. 

 Kula containment is at 50% though new flare-ups have been reported, and it seems to be in 2 different areas. 

Both Ka’anapali and Haiku fires are contained/out.  Winds have died down a bit, so helicopters are able to assist with water drops and delivering supplies.

How you can help Maui, click here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.