Wildfires in Maui, Hawai'i

Winds from hurricane Dora, passing a few hundred miles south of the islands, are catalyzing wildfires that are devastating towns and homes in Maui and the Big Island of Hawai'i. The historic tourist town of Lahaina (pop 9,000) has been decimated. The situation was made more dire due to much of the communications being down there and many residents not receiving a timely warning of the severity of the fires.

At least 111 people have lost their lives due to the fires, 2,200 structures have been destroyed (86% of them were residential), and thousands of people are now displaced.

Many airliners are adjusting schedules to help evacuate people from the island to find more hospitable conditions on the other islands.

PPM has partners on the islands that are prayerfully considering how they can respond to the situation on Maui and Hawai'i.

Here is a note I received today from one of our partner pastors there:

[Aloha e ku’u lei mokihanaI am sure you all are aware of the devastation that has taken place in Maui and Hawai’i Island. Generosity has always been one of the greatest strengths of our hālau. Many of you have already reached out asking how can we help. Mahalo nui for your generous hearts. I would like you all to know that I am in communication with one of our hālau musicians Ikaika Blackburn who is a fire captain on Maui and is in the thick of things, seeing the disaster first hand. He has informed me that the greatest need currently is:CotsAir mattressesBlanketsBeddingClothesGift cardsI will have additional info soon regarding drop off date, location, and time. For now, please pray and begin gathering any of the items above. They ask that everything is bagged and labeled. For example, clothes…..label adult male and female clothing, Keiki clothing, Queen bedding, etc. It helps them to distribute the items super quick.Let’s all come together and kokua. Every little bit helps. Let’s send huge mokihana blessings to our friends and family on Maui.He kuleana ko kakou.It is all our responsibility.]

Currently, PPM has started a donation campaign on givebutter that will be directed to our partners who best understand the needs as they develop. The link is below.

We ask that you would consider giving monetary donations that would help those who are local acquire the appropriate supplies. We are not looking for any types of physical goods at this time.

Thank you for your generosity and thanks for praying.

(photo credit: NBC News)