Editor’s Note: I’m so pissed because I finally finished editing this blog post and WordPress didn’t save anything from 10pm last night, 8/11/23, while I monitored Coral’s BGs. Nonetheless, I hope you’ll read, learn, and share with families in need in Hawai’i and anyone who’s ever said they “love Hawaii.” I tried my best to summarize the past few days of traumatic events – suppressing my emotions, consolidate verified charitable local organizations and compile several lists of resources for viewers. Please read in full and click through all the links provided to select organizations.

You may have seen video footage of the devastating wildfires on mostly Maui and also Big Island recently. Remnants from closely passing hurricane Dora caused a “funnel-like” wind turbine (about 60-80 mph winds) across the Hawaiian islands earlier this week of August 6, 2023. Nobody is certain of the exact cause of the wildfires in each island (three on Maui down to two as of 8/10/23, a few on BI), but it may have been sparked by downed power lines with the drought on the west side [always the driest on almost every island], along with dry invasive grasslands, poor government planning to foresee this happening before drought and hurricane “seasons.” As usual, HI lacks the resources and/or greedy government officials failed to protect kamaʻāina and the ʻāina – Mayor Bissen didn’t return to Maui until the wildfires were well-spread throughout Lahaina town, as noted by Civil Beat’s, Maui’s Top Emergency Officials Were Off Island As Wildfires Hit Lahaina. Had County Officials at least annually planned and budgeted for such emergency situations with efficiency and efficacy, perhaps we wouldn’t be seeing the death toll rise to over 111 with hundreds of loved ones still unaccounted for as of 8/15/23. Be mindful that when you walk through Lahaina, months or years from now, you may likely be walking over the ashes of loved ones.

At least 55 are confirmed dead and 2,100 sought shelter in emergency shelters as fires fueled by dry winds from a passing hurricane tore through Lahaina and Kula. At least 271 buildings have burned.

– Civil Beat, August 10, 2023

As part Kānaka born and raised on O’ahu, this breaks my heart. I’ve cried each day since first watching the news from August 7, 2023 on YouTube from Hawaiinewsnow, Mauinews, and select Kānaka-run accounts on Instagram [I stay away from Tik Tok because I try to narrow it down to Native truths and possible solutions from more credible sources listed below].

PBS News Hour did a great job covering the aftermath of the destruction of historical Lahaina town mentioning the County’s emergency alert system never sounded. County Public Officials still haven’t given a reason as to why the lack of emergency alerts as of August 12, 2023. Forcing civilians to evacuate with whatever they had on them and jump into the ocean to escape the hellish fires. Our diabuddy IRL – not just IG, and her family barely made it out of Lahaina with “smoke and flames raging behind [their] car…Luckily, [they] had insulin on ice and was able to keep [it] safe for almost 48 hours without power.” Thank goodness she was able to text me to update me of her safety on 8/10/23. More on PBS News Hour’s, Questions Grow Over Wildfire Warnings as Maui Death Toll Rises.

What Maui Means to Us

For those who don’t know, my distant relatives and a few diabuddies still live on Maui. I have distant ohana [family] on each island of Hawai’i as we are all of Native Hawaiian ancestry every generation maternal and paternal – of course, not just “because we’re born and raised there” [anyone who keeps telling me that online can shove it where the sun don’t shine]. Sadly, due to my parents divorce and my mom’s ongoing toxic relationship with her boyfriend [he abused my older bro and me from when I was eight to 18 years old], I’ve lost touch with all, but one of my dad’s [deceased, deadbeat] remaining ohana and most of my maternal relatives. My Kānaka Maoli [full Native Hawaiian] grandma was born and raised on Hāliʻimaile, Maui. She moved to O’ahu sometime after the late 1930’s I presume. She passed away due to lymphoma cancer while residing on Wai’anae Hawaiian Homestead which took her within six months from when I made a last-minute trip back to O’ahu to when I was finally able to move back home in January 2011. My oldest Aunty coordinated Tūtū’s [grandma] funeral and postponed it until I was able to attend with my remaining ohana.

Our Native roots started in Maui. We’ve visited three times since 1999. The Lahaina Banyon Tree built at request of Queen Keōpūolani, the sacred wife and widow of King Kamehameha the Great in 1873, is miraculously still standing, although damaged. I remember climbing onto it’s large branches when I was younger during my visits. Maui is not just another vacation destination for us as it is for thousands of other non-local travelers. Regardless of how often they’ve been there, they cannot call Maui – or ANY Hawaiian island their “Home away from home/second home,” IF they’ve never given back to the ʻāina [land] or ke kai [sea]. IF they’ve never given back to kamaʻāina [people of the land] by shopping at local businesses or donating clothing, food, water or supplies in their desperate time of need. These are some of the reasons why many locals call such self-entitled people, “Haole’s” [or “no breath,” typically of European descent with a colonizer mindset]. Never forget, you’re on stolen Native land.

[Above] Before and after the wildfires destroyed historic Lahaina district, credit: IG @Mauinownews Mauinow.com

Learn more about The Great Banyon Tree of Lahaina from Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Learn more about the Lahaina Harbor from Hawaii Harbors Network and PBS News Hour.

How You Can Help Maui and Its People

Non-locals always tell me they “love Hawaii.” Well, now’s their chance to prove it. Please show your aloha by giving back in some way to any of the organizations listed below:

CANCEL or postpone your trip to Maui and any island of Hawai’i even a year later if possible, to conserve limited resources and hospitals for Kānaka and residents. Encourage your non-local HI friends and family to do the same and explain to them why this is the right thing to do. If you still plan on visiting, please be sure to volunteer with Maui Food Bank, Salvation Army Maui, Red Cross, or any of the community organized hubs. View more local organizations that could use a helping hand at Hands on Maui.

Keep roads clear if you do NOT have to leave for essentials or life-saving medical supplies [I’ll get to that later]. Access is limited to first-responders as of 8/10/23 until further notice by County Officials & Maui Mayor, Richard T. Bissen, Jr. His office can be reached here [try to keep your email short, factual, and respectful if you want any response at all, be mindful of their time constraints]:

Office of the Maui Mayor
Physical Address:
200 S. High Street, Kalana O Maui Bldg, 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: (808) 270-7855
Fax: (808) 270-7870

Mitigate spread of Covid by wearing an N95 or KN95 face mask properly over your nose and chin anytime indoors or crowded outdoor areas when physical distancing isn’t possible. A well-fitting multi-layered face mask doubles as protection from hazardous ash when sifting through ones belongings in rubble – wear gloves if available and wash hands with soap and water. Covid is airborne – NOT like the “flu.” For fcks sake peoples, c’mon it’s 2023. Covid’s here to stay since it mutates faster than measles and scientists mRNA vaccines can’t keep up either. Email me at typeonediabetic-life@gmail.com with your full name, address, if you need me to send you KN95s.

Donate to credible local organizations. There’s already dozens of scammers and/or small businesses – not all owned by Natives, requesting donations or GoFundMe’s. Keep in mind, Native Hawaiian’s were already greatly displaced from their homes long before these fires. The least anyone who’s ever visited or owns/ed a home on Hawai’i can do is donate to any of these verified organizations. Here’s a list of both non-profit (501c3) and other charitable organizations that I hope you’ll contribute any dollar amount or materials as needed:

  • Mutual Aid Diabetes – any fellow local families in need of diabetes supplies and life-saving insulin, please contact MAD to request aid. If you would like to add your name to a list of their suppliers/donors like we did, you may fill out their webform here.
    • Learn more on how families with diabetes on Maui can access diabetes supplies on KHON2news.com. Please share the link in your Instagram stories with American Diabetes Association Hawaii’s post.
  • Maui Fires Fundraiser – Hosted by former 5X World Champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane @ilimanator. Follow her on IG for updates. Click here to donate or through the same link in our IG profile.
  • Maui Food Bank – With every dollar donated, the Maui Food Bank can provide four meals to the hungry living in their island community. Please donate here or at least share.
  • Lāhui Foundation – a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Ko’olauloa, Hawai’i. You may make a monetary donation at Lahuifoundation.org or Venmo @Lahui-Foundation. For more info or questions, email info@lahuifoundation.org.
  • Hawai’i Community Foundation – Maui Strong Fund accepting monetary donations to go directly towards “communities affected by the wildfires on Maui,” click here.
  • The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement – CNHA a member-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians. Headquarters: 91-1270 Kinoiki St.  Kapolei, HI 96707. Every dollar donated will be matched up to $1.5 Million. Please donate or share here. 100% of the proceeds will go to Maui organizations to support relief efforts. Checks may be written out to “Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement” with a memo “Kākoʻo Maui.” For more info, email hwf@hawaiiancouncil.org.
  • Maui Rapid Response – a collective disaster response organization made up of individuals from Maui-Mutual-Aid, Maui-Strong, and a number of nonprofit and direct-aid organizations. Working in coordination with county and state officials, Maui Rapid Response is a trusted entity dedicated to supporting Maui County citizen groups in crisis. Please view the single page with donation drop-off sites, items needed on Maui and option to donate any monetary amount. Each site may list different items needed based on their location. Please continue checking regularly for any updates. Fill out this online form in case you’re able to offer help or are in need of other assistance.
    • View a list of Maui shelters here.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – apply for assistance whether a small business, homeowner, family, or individual here. Tons of info on their Government site, so read carefully and share with loved ones.
  • Grass-roots Charitable List – Compiled by an anonymous Maui resident/local, sent to our mutual friend, then to me. Please click here to view all families in need, charitable organizations, and local businesses supporting Maui relief efforts [best viewed on tablet/iPad/desktop computer].
  • Salvation Army Maui – Sign up to be a volunteer at the Kahului Corps. Donations – please send to hawaii.salvationarmy.org.
  • Send baby supplies to mothers in need – Non-profit Baby 2 Baby has been gathering supplies for babies and children who have been affected by the Maui fires. Visit their website for more information or to donate.

Foster a Maui Humane Society animal – You can either directly donate to the Shelter to quickly help them meet increasing demands to provide for hundreds of animals. Call (808) 877-3680 and visit their website for more info.

Oprah and The Rocks People’s Fund Maui is not a local Hawai’i charity organization, but is a fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation located on 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90024. The executives of PFM are said to earn anywhere over $200,000 to $400,000. Earlier in September, The Rock and Oprah posted a Reels/video on Instagram and other social media outlets about the fund they started by contributing their so-called “$10 million dollars.” However, the comments on their collaborated post(s) have recently been turned off as of late November-early September while they both face growing scrutiny for:

  • Soliciting donations from us, commoners others still struggling, when they’ve only contributed less than $10,000 of their own money [hearsay and difficult to find valid sources] when Oprah’s net worth is $3.5 billion The Rock’s net worth is $800 million.
  • Oprah owns over 2,000 acres of sacred Native Hawaiian land in agricultural zones to avoid taxes which most were bought under Quiet Title Action – the land owner(s) don’t even know they own that lot of land because Native Hawaiians never used land deeds like European colonizers do. Learn more on The Verge and Forbes.
  • Supposedly, she hired her own personal security detail and firefighters the day before and throughout the destruction of Lahaina.
  • Supposedly, she never offered to house any further displaced locals and Native Hawaiians on her property after fires destroyed their homes and lives.
  • Many skeptics like myself, believe she used the PFM as a tax deduction rather than actually donating directly to local families in need.
  • Critics also strongly believe that Oprah should give some that 2,000 acres of sacred Native Hawaiian land back to Kanaka’s and Kama’aina. I agree. NOBODY needs that much land. 

Pay Attention to Local HI News Channels Over Non-Local Sources

I always say, if you want to know where to eat authentic Hawaiian food in Los Angeles, then ask me! Or ask a local born and raised there [aka Kamaʻāina] – not some transplant who moved to “Hawayee” in the middle of a raging real pandemic or in recent months. The same logic applies to who, what, and where to source the most accurate ʻŌlelo Hawaiian pronunciation, key historical and sacred sights, and news updates regarding any event that affects displaced Native Hawaiians and residents. Local news channels I periodically check include (to name a few, visit each news site for the latest updates):

Further Education

In case you’re just as curious as I was about whether or not County officials did any fire prevention assessment and planning, it was done “10 years ago” and west Maui (includes Lahaina) was found to be at “extreme risk” of serious fire. Read more at Civil Beat’s, Maui’s Top Emergency Officials Were Off Island As Wildfires Hit Lahaina. View the fire risk report by Co-Executive Directors, Elizabeth Pickett and Ilene Grossman of Hawai’i Wildfire Management Organization.

List of local County emergency alerts – sign up if you haven’t yet.

[I’ll be updating more later if I have the mental capacity to do so].

Mahalo for Your Kokua

Thank you for listening and learning more with us. I’m very pleased to see such a massive collaborative effort across all of Hawai’i and friends off-island so far. Let’s continue praying for Maui and supporting our friends, family, and residents anyway we can.

Information gathered from some Kanaka or local HI Instagram accounts [hope they follow back and share my blog post too, hee hee]:

Mālama Pono [take good care],

Shelsea

LAST REVISED: 9/25/23

Published by Shelsea

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