Red Cross Continues to Help Nearly Two Years After Devastating Maui Wildfires

Nearly two years after devastating wildfires swept through Lahaina and Kula, Hawaii, the American Red Cross is still there, helping people rebuild their lives through its Long-Term Recovery program.

Long after the wildfires, flooding and other disaster threats are over, people still need help. The Red Cross is with them through its Long-Term Recovery programs, which can include direct financial assistance, grants and community recovery support.

Recently, members of the Long-Term Recovery team met in Maui where our community recovery partners continue to help those affected by the fires with support including mental health, housing, food security and more.

The team, including Lahaina-born Yvonne McClean, spent the week meeting with grantees, fire survivors and local government officials to see first-hand how much has been accomplished with support and funding from the Red Cross.

RESPECT, PANTRY STAPLES FOR ELDERS Our Kupuna, a Red Cross grantee and community recovery partner, focuses on weekly food deliveries to home-bound elders, or kupuna, who were displaced by the wildfires. Many have been relocated near their displaced neighbors, creating “mini-Lahainas” across the island. The food delivery doubles as an opportunity for other care and referrals, as volunteers sit with the elders and talk. It’s as much community therapy as it is food delivery service.

Notably, a volunteer delivering food to Ki Soon, a kupuna from Korea, tried some of the kimchi she had made the night before, then noted what type of cabbage and dried chilis she used to ensure she added them in the next week’s delivery. It’s this level of care that Our Kupuna provides. Our Kupuna team member Shannon I'i, Maui Program Coordinator, reported the first day of the program took 10 hours as they spent time with each elder. It was more than they expected, but they returned to the office after dark, grateful for each moment. Many of the staff and volunteers are survivors themselves, describing the experience as an opportunity to heal their own trauma.

SHORT-TERM HOUSING, LONG-TERM SUPPORT The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) co-created two grant funded programs with the Red Cross to support families displaced by the wildfires ─ the Host Family and Direct Lease programs. The Host Family Program provides financial assistance to families who open their homes to friends and neighbors displaced by the fires, providing a stipend for them to cover increased food costs, utilities and other expenses associated with taking in a person, or in some cases, a whole family. This is a practice deeply embedded in Hawaiian culture, in the words of CNHA CEO Kuhio Lewis, “It’s the spirit of aloha.”

The second is the Direct Lease Program, in which CNHA operates like a supportive landlord, holding master leases and providing 12 months of free housing for families with the fewest recovery resources. In one heartbreaking example, Grace and her husband, Matteo, lost their home of 35 years in the fires, a home they built themselves. Not long after, Matteo was diagnosed with lymphoma and was referred to a specialist in Seattle for treatment. Grace and Matteo left, not knowing that by leaving, they were making themselves ineligible for federal resources upon their return. Their recovery, she said, “felt like 10 steps forward, 100 steps back.” Now, thanks to CNHA, the direct lease program, and a partnership with the Red Cross, she has a safe, secure home to continue her recovery.

HELPING THE HELPERS Through a Red Cross grant, Catholic Charities Hawaii provides a therapy program specifically focused on first responders, a population lauded for the important work they do during and after a disaster, but also notorious for not reaching out for help themselves. This “helping the helpers” model supports the recovery of community service providers after the trauma of the Maui wildfires, leaving them more resilient before the next disaster strikes. The work is ongoing. In fact, they mentioned that several of the other Red Cross grantees and community recovery partners receive therapy and other mental health support themselves, provided by Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY WITH DIGNITY AND JOY The weeklong visit culminated with the blessing of Maui Food Bank’s Da Market in Lahaina, as well as two mobile food distribution trucks, including one nicknamed “Auntie Momi,” which will reach fire survivors unable to physically visit the market. All were made possible through Red Cross grants.

Rev. Kalani Wong, who presided over the blessing, described how it was Hawaiian tradition to clean and purify using salt and water and sprinkled a mixture of both on the truck and the entrance of the market, draped in a Ti leaf garland. “We want to bring about a healing for our people today,” he said to the assembled crowd. “Those who have suffered and continue to suffer the loss of their home, loss of livelihood, loss of their ohana, that there might be healing for that.”

The truck itself speaks to the mission of the Maui Food Bank, to deliver food to communities in need, in a joyful, upbeat way. Rather than treating its visitors as passive recipients of assistance, the space is open and welcoming, intentionally styled like a regular market, complete with shopping carts. People can peruse the aisles, picking food items, fresh produce and household goods that they want. The experience is designed to treat visitors with dignity, giving them agency and choice. In particular, the market focuses on culturally appropriate items for the Latino, Filipino and native Hawaiian communities.

LONG-TERM RECOVERYThese are just a few of the  long-term recovery grantee partnerships supported by the Red Cross. The team has worked with these partners, some as soon as just a few weeks after the August 2023 fire. As the two-year mark approaches, they continue to provide support. Amanda Ree, director, Western Wildfires Long-Term Recovery, says, “We are just so proud and honored to walk alongside these partners in recovery, offering technical expertise and resources to empower those connections, making their services go farther, ultimately ensuring Maui is stronger and more resilient than before.”

Learn more in our One-Year Report and see  Long-Term Recovery stories in the 1-year Maui video.