Hawaii Wildfires Response & Recovery
On Tuesday, August 8, wildfires–fueled by dry weather and high winds from passing Hurricane Dora–quickly overtook the Hawaiian island of Maui, decimating homes and businesses. Residents who were forced to quickly evacuate suffered major losses, with hundreds killed or injured and many more displaced by the fires. Lahaina, a well loved and historic town was almost completely destroyed. Many on the island are still experiencing limited access to vital resources.Communities on Hawaii’s Big Island were also recently impacted by wildfires.
Reports from Hawaiian officials report damage from the fires as “catastrophic,” “horrifying,” and “like nothing we’ve ever seen.”
Operation USA is committed to aiding the people of Hawaii with emergency aid. As of Monday, August 14th, OpUSA has deployed two $10,000 emergency grants, to the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank. As of August 25th, we have also handed off a shipment of tents (generously donated by Exxel Outdoors) and large quantities of diapers, drinking water and baby formula (collected by our partners at Meathead Movers) to our partners at COPE for transport to Maui, in support of displaced families. Donations to our relief efforts expand our capacity to get aid into the hands of groups working directly in the hardest-hit communities. Thank you for your support!
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HOW TO HELP:
The best way to help wildfire survivors in Hawaii is with a cash donation, which enables Operation USA to remain agile and quickly deliver emergency aid to partners on the ground.
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LATEST UPDATES:
September 21, 2023–Operation USA remains committed to aiding the people of Maui. Thank you to all who have donated to this effort so far. OpUSA will continue to assess opportunities to provide aid and will make cash grants, deliver material aid and offer long-term support as much as funding allows.
August 25, 2023, 10:21a–Today, Hawaiian officials released a list of 388 people still unaccounted for in Maui, hoping that those who are on the list who were able to safely evacuate and/or find shelter will identify themselves as safe. Search and recovery efforts have been complicated and exhausting for those involved as well as those awaiting news of loved ones. The death toll has risen to 115, and many experts predict that toll will increase significantly as search and recovery efforts come to an end and many people–even more than the 388 identified on the official list–remain unaccounted for.
Our thoughts remain with all those impacted by this devastating disaster. We understand that recovery has only just begun for those who must rebuild from nothing, and that the situation will call for outside aid for months, even years, to come. Your donations help OpUSA stay committed for the long haul. Please consider a gift here. Thank you.
August 21, 2023, 11:03a–The death toll in Hawaii has climbed to 114, with 850+ people still missing and thousands displaced. Experts predict that the death toll will surge in the weeks ahead as the true extent of loss of life becomes known. Despite dedicated efforts from a wide swath of individuals and organizations, search and recovery efforts are slow moving, and officials on the island are reporting “unprecedented” conditions on the island in the wake of deadly fires.
Operation USA remains committed to aiding relief efforts in Maui however we are able. Your donations make this possible. Please donate here.
August 17, 2023, 9:21a–Operation USA is now readying a relief shipment of tents, generously donated by our partners at Exxel Outdoors, to be sent to displaced families in Maui. We’ll hand the tents off to our longtime partners at COPE Preparedness for transport to the island. OpUSA is once again grateful for the meaningful support of our partners who expand our capacity to help those hardest-hit by disasters.
August 16, 2023, 10:30a–With roughly 27% of the burn area in Maui searched, the death toll has risen to 106. A reported 1,300+ people remain unaccounted for. Thousands have lost everything. Though the local Hawaiian community has assembled a great deal of aid, and emergency funding is on its way, recovery will be a long and challenging road for traumatized families who have lost everything. OpUSA is proud to support worthy groups–the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank–with emergency grants. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and Board of Directors, additional grants will be on the way soon. All donations to Hawaii relief support this effort. Give now.
August 14, 2023, 12:01p–As recovery and cleanup from deadly wildfires is underway in Maui, experts estimate the disaster will result in an “astronomic” economical cost of $3-7.5 billion. A reported 2,000 structures were lost in the fires, and the death toll has risen to 96. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Communities on the island will never be the same.
Operation USA is grateful for the support of generous donors who have already empowered us to send two $10,000 grants to partners on the ground. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll work diligently to provide funding, supplies and long-term support where it’s needed most. Your donations make this work possible.
August 13, 2023, 2:09p–Operation USA is readying two $10,000 emergency relief grants for Maui wildfire victims, to be sent to the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank this week. We will deploy additional grants as soon as and as often as funding allows–with our Board of Directors to match the next $20,000 in gifts. Please help now.
August 13, 2023, 11:09a–The fires in Hawaii are now being called the deadliest in US history, and the worst disaster ever to strike Hawaii. As more than a thousand people remain unaccounted for and experts fear the worst, the death toll today climbed to 93. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.
Operation USA is working rapidly to deliver emergency cash grants to partners. Donations to our efforts enable us to distribute funding more efficiently to more groups demonstrating high need in the wake of this disaster. Thank you for your support.
August 12, 2023, 10:17a–As rescue and recovery efforts in Hawaii continue, the death toll today climbed to 80. Experts expect that number to continue climbing as the full extent of damage becomes known. Across Maui, air quality is now extremely poor due to “highly toxic” burn areas, and–despite 85% containment–six fires are still burning there and on the Big Island. Officials are calling this the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history.
Earlier this week, residents of Maui were forced to flee their homes as the fires quickly spread across the island. Many report having little to no warning, and having to outrun flames at a moment’s notice. Now, as some survivors begin to return home, they’re finding their entire communities are completely destroyed. Some families have lost everything. Recovery will take years.
OpUSA is working diligently to identify opportunities to aid recovery efforts, and will send more emergency grants as soon and as often as funding allows. Please consider helping our relief efforts in Hawaii with a donation here.
August 11, 2023, 12:21p– The death toll in Hawaii following devastating wildfires has climbed to 55, with many more feared dead. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and experts expect the full scale of loss to be even greater than initially reported. OpUSA is committed to supporting relief efforts however we are able. In addition to a $10,000 grant to the Hawaii Community Foundation–to be sent this week–we are also assessing needs and working with partners to coordinate the delivery of in-kind material aid and further emergency cash support. Your donations directly support these initiatives. Please donate now at give.opusa.org.
August 10, 2023, 11:32a–Today, wildfires continue to impact communities across Hawaii. The death toll has reached 36 people, with many more suffering from smoke inhalation, injured and/or displaced. Operation USA is continuing to assess opportunities to provide aid. Your donations make our work possible. Give now.
August 9, 2023, 2:42p–Operation USA is currently monitoring the situation in Hawaii as devastating wildfires sweep across Maui and the Big Island. We are readying aid and preparing to make emergency cash grants to community-based partners as soon as possible. Every donation to Hawaii wildfire relief will directly support impacted families. Please donate now at give.opusa.org.
September 21, 2023–Operation USA remains committed to aiding the people of Maui. Thank you to all who have donated to this effort so far. OpUSA will continue to assess opportunities to provide aid and will make cash grants, deliver material aid and offer long-term support as much as funding allows.
August 25, 2023, 10:21a–Today, Hawaiian officials released a list of 388 people still unaccounted for in Maui, hoping that those who are on the list who were able to safely evacuate and/or find shelter will identify themselves as safe. Search and recovery efforts have been complicated and exhausting for those involved as well as those awaiting news of loved ones. The death toll has risen to 115, and many experts predict that toll will increase significantly as search and recovery efforts come to an end and many people–even more than the 388 identified on the official list–remain unaccounted for.
Our thoughts remain with all those impacted by this devastating disaster. We understand that recovery has only just begun for those who must rebuild from nothing, and that the situation will call for outside aid for months, even years, to come. Your donations help OpUSA stay committed for the long haul. Please consider a gift here. Thank you.
August 21, 2023, 11:03a–The death toll in Hawaii has climbed to 114, with 850+ people still missing and thousands displaced. Experts predict that the death toll will surge in the weeks ahead as the true extent of loss of life becomes known. Despite dedicated efforts from a wide swath of individuals and organizations, search and recovery efforts are slow moving, and officials on the island are reporting “unprecedented” conditions on the island in the wake of deadly fires.
Operation USA remains committed to aiding relief efforts in Maui however we are able. Your donations make this possible. Please donate here.
August 17, 2023, 9:21a–Operation USA is now readying a relief shipment of tents, generously donated by our partners at Exxel Outdoors, to be sent to displaced families in Maui. We’ll hand the tents off to our longtime partners at COPE Preparedness for transport to the island. OpUSA is once again grateful for the meaningful support of our partners who expand our capacity to help those hardest-hit by disasters.
August 16, 2023, 10:30a–With roughly 27% of the burn area in Maui searched, the death toll has risen to 106. A reported 1,300+ people remain unaccounted for. Thousands have lost everything. Though the local Hawaiian community has assembled a great deal of aid, and emergency funding is on its way, recovery will be a long and challenging road for traumatized families who have lost everything. OpUSA is proud to support worthy groups–the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank–with emergency grants. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and Board of Directors, additional grants will be on the way soon. All donations to Hawaii relief support this effort. Give now.
August 14, 2023, 12:01p–As recovery and cleanup from deadly wildfires is underway in Maui, experts estimate the disaster will result in an “astronomic” economical cost of $3-7.5 billion. A reported 2,000 structures were lost in the fires, and the death toll has risen to 96. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Communities on the island will never be the same.
Operation USA is grateful for the support of generous donors who have already empowered us to send two $10,000 grants to partners on the ground. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll work diligently to provide funding, supplies and long-term support where it’s needed most. Your donations make this work possible.
August 13, 2023, 2:09p–Operation USA is readying two $10,000 emergency relief grants for Maui wildfire victims, to be sent to the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank this week. We will deploy additional grants as soon as and as often as funding allows–with our Board of Directors to match the next $20,000 in gifts. Please help now.
August 13, 2023, 11:09a–The fires in Hawaii are now being called the deadliest in US history, and the worst disaster ever to strike Hawaii. As more than a thousand people remain unaccounted for and experts fear the worst, the death toll today climbed to 93. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.
Operation USA is working rapidly to deliver emergency cash grants to partners. Donations to our efforts enable us to distribute funding more efficiently to more groups demonstrating high need in the wake of this disaster. Thank you for your support.
August 12, 2023, 10:17a–As rescue and recovery efforts in Hawaii continue, the death toll today climbed to 80. Experts expect that number to continue climbing as the full extent of damage becomes known. Across Maui, air quality is now extremely poor due to “highly toxic” burn areas, and–despite 85% containment–six fires are still burning there and on the Big Island. Officials are calling this the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history.
Earlier this week, residents of Maui were forced to flee their homes as the fires quickly spread across the island. Many report having little to no warning, and having to outrun flames at a moment’s notice. Now, as some survivors begin to return home, they’re finding their entire communities are completely destroyed. Some families have lost everything. Recovery will take years.
OpUSA is working diligently to identify opportunities to aid recovery efforts, and will send more emergency grants as soon and as often as funding allows. Please consider helping our relief efforts in Hawaii with a donation here.
August 11, 2023, 12:21p– The death toll in Hawaii following devastating wildfires has climbed to 55, with many more feared dead. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and experts expect the full scale of loss to be even greater than initially reported. OpUSA is committed to supporting relief efforts however we are able. In addition to a $10,000 grant to the Hawaii Community Foundation–to be sent this week–we are also assessing needs and working with partners to coordinate the delivery of in-kind material aid and further emergency cash support. Your donations directly support these initiatives. Please donate now at give.opusa.org.
August 10, 2023, 11:32a–Today, wildfires continue to impact communities across Hawaii. The death toll has reached 36 people, with many more suffering from smoke inhalation, injured and/or displaced. Operation USA is continuing to assess opportunities to provide aid. Your donations make our work possible. Give now.
August 9, 2023, 2:42p–Operation USA is currently monitoring the situation in Hawaii as devastating wildfires sweep across Maui and the Big Island. We are readying aid and preparing to make emergency cash grants to community-based partners as soon as possible. Every donation to Hawaii wildfire relief will directly support impacted families. Please donate now at give.opusa.org.