Our thoughts are with the people of Hawaii whose lives have been forever changed by the deadliest wildfires in the last 100 years.
Early reports indicate the climate-driven fires destroyed as many as 2,200 structures, most of which were homes. Residents are being warned about possible toxic fumes and contaminated running water. More than 4,500 customers are still without electricity while phone service is slowly being restored. Where cell service is available, it is still limited, and users are asked to text instead of calling.
RED CROSS RESPONSE More than 300 trained Red Cross disaster workers are working tirelessly with our partners to get help to people as quickly as possible.
The Red Cross is coordinating closely with state and local emergency management teams to begin moving people from congregate emergency shelters into hotels. Emergency shelters will become multi-purpose service centers where people can access hot meals, relief supplies, health, mental health and spiritual care services, support with finding loved ones and casework assistance.
While many residents are choosing not to stay in shelters, please know that anyone who has been affected by the fires is welcome to stop by and get help, including access to emergency hotel lodgings. To find a shelter near you, visit redcross.org, download the free Red Cross Emergency app or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and select the disaster option.
- Since the fires began, the Red Cross and county government have provided more than 4,200 overnight shelter stays in 12 emergency shelters on Maui and Oahu.
- With partners, we have provided more than 28,600 meals and snacks to people in need.
- We have received more than 2,100 reunification information requests and have successfully completed more than 550 of these.
- Our preliminary damage assessment process is days ahead of our normal timeline, a result of our partnership with Microsoft's AI for Good Research Lab that is using sophisticated AI models and satellite imagery to analyze the extent of the damage.
- Some 6,000 local residents that have begun their Red Cross volunteer training since the fires began. If you are interested in volunteering, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday
The Red Cross was helping people before the fires started and will be there in the weeks and months to come helping people recover from this tragedy. In fact, the Red Cross has been providing humanitarian assistance in Hawaii as far back as 1898. Recovering from a wildfire of this magnitude will take time and the full community coming together to support one another.
We are working with our partners to get help to where it is needed as quickly as possible. This includes moving more relief supplies to Maui from the continental U.S. and distributing food and relief supplies as soon things are in place to make this possible.
HOW YOU CAN HELP People in Hawaii need your help and support. Every single donation will make a difference in someone’s life. Powered by local volunteers and staff, the Red Cross has the ability to use your financial donation to reach more people in need and reach them more quickly.
You can help people affected by disasters like fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
For those interested in helping people specifically affected by the Hawaii wildfires, you can still select Hawaii Wildfires on redcross.org, or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
DONATION OF ITEMS We know that people are generous and want to do everything they can to help after a disaster. Our first priority is to provide shelter and support to those affected — and financial donations are the quickest and best way to help those who need it most. The Red Cross will not accept donations of clothing or household items, as these types of donations divert resources away from our mission — whereas financial donations can be used right away to directly help those affected, such as replacing lost items like prescription medications or reading glasses. Every financial donation — no matter the size — brings hope to those affected. For example, $5 can provide a blanket and $10 can provide a meal.
Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke is spearheading a coordinated effort to distribute donations to Maui fire victims. Individuals or entities interested in volunteering, donating, orare inneedofsupplies should visitwww.mauinuistrong.info.
FIND LOVED ONES If you need assistance locating a missing loved one due to the current disaster, please call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and select Option 4. Follow the voice prompts for "Hawaii Wildfires."
Provide as much detail as possible to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one. Please note call volume is high and callers may experience longer wait times.
CLIMATE CRISIS The fires were fueled by a combination of strong winds and drought conditions on the islands. Globally, the climate crisis is increasing the intensity of extreme heat, droughts and hurricanes.
Wildfires — along with the ongoing heat wave ─ are clear examples of how the intensity of climate-rated disasters is worsening. As these extreme weather disasters increase, more people need help from the Red Cross.Find out more about the Red Cross and its work on the climate crisis here.
GOOD TO KNOW This is a difficult time for everyone affected and it’s important for people to connect with and support each other. If you or a loved one needs help, reach out through the Disaster Distress Helpline for free 24/7 support by calling 1-800-985-5990.
If you need help or are looking for information and have connectivity, try calling 211, if this service is available in your area, or your local emergency management office.
We encourage people affected by these wildfires to apply for federal Disaster Assistance at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. If you use a video relay service, captioned telephone service, or other communication services, please provide FEMA the specific number assigned for that service. You may be eligible for a variety of support including financial or housing assistance.
Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.
ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Best Buy; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale ; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PayPal; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo
ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; CarMax; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Dollar General; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Merck; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation
Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CDW; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Foundation; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Martin Marietta; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; The Middleby Corporation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Organon; Pacific Life Foundation; Procter & Gamble; Prudential; Raytheon Technologies; Reckitt; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Project, a project of New Venture Fund; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; U.S. Bank Foundation; Zurich
