KAHULUI, FEBRUARY 7, 2024 — Six months after August’s wildfires, the American Red Cross continues to care for nearly 5,000 affected residents in the temporary emergency non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program. The Red Cross honors the experiences of survivor households like the Fisher family, who had a five-day-old child at the time of the fires. The Fisher’s came into the NCS program when a Red Cross shelter worker spotted them outside a coffee shop with their pet parrot. Just like the Fisher’s, every resident in our care has a story of strength and resilience. The Red Cross team is here to listen, and to help.  

As government agencies work to prepare residential zones for safe re-entry and secure intermediate housing solutions, residents are empowered to determine their next housing steps with the support of Red Cross Shelter Resident Transition teams. Thanks to the hard work of our government and community partners, more housing options become available every day. Red Cross teams stand ready to assist those impacted through the housing process.  

With the reopening of the first residential zone, over 100 households in the NCS program have successfully returned home. The Red Cross will continue to address the needs of residents in our care whose home sites are due to reopen. Red Cross sheltering teams work closely with those impacted to make sure they have the necessary resources to comfortably settle back into their homes. 

As we look ahead toward recovery, we acknowledge the perseverance and patience of residents in our care that are continuing the search for a stable housing option. We continue to work alongside trusted government partners to support households like the Fisher family who are not yet at this transition point until they connect with stable housing solutions. 

To date, over 2400 households and 3,000 individuals in the NCS program have successfully transitioned into stable housing. We are in grateful partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA). Through the Red Cross -funded Host Housing Support Program administered by CNHA, 219 local families are hosting nearly 600 disaster-impacted individuals. In addition, the Red Cross has supported CNHA in securing 50 direct leases for disaster-affected individuals in our care. Participation in the host family and direct lease programs only continues to grow, with applications coming in daily.  

As a donor-funded nonprofit comprised of 90% volunteers, the American Red Cross is grateful to the more than 1860 deployed volunteers that have supported the disaster relief operation on Maui; as well as to our new local workforce that stepped up to help their community recover. As we take stock of the past six months and look forward, the Red Cross extends gratitude to every individual in our care for their cooperation, and we are here to actively support them in the next chapter on their road to recovery.