One Year Since Maui’s Wildfires: Partnering with Local Groups to Support Families in Need
August 8 marks one year since a series of deadly wildfires broke out on the island of Maui, Hawaii, killing 102 individuals and destroying more than 2,000 homes and buildings. The Lahaina community is working to rebuild, and many local, national, and international organizations are offering assistance as survivors navigate the recovery process. At the same time, the journey remains difficult; some residents do not qualify for government assistance, living situations remain uncertain for many evacuees, and others are grappling with the adverse physical and mental health effects of the wildfires. Peace Winds’ experience teaches us that recovery from a disaster of this scale will take a long time and tremendous effort.
Peace Winds supporters in Japan and the United States contributed more than $250,000 for Maui’s relief and recovery in the last year. In the past month, Peace Winds has made two new grants to organizations that are working toward various aspects of Lahaina’s recovery–Roots Reborn and the Hawaii Red Cross. These grants come in addition to Peace Winds’ support for three other organizations earlier in the year as well as other relief and recovery activities.
Roots Reborn: Providing Legal Aid to Maui’s Immigrant Community
One group that is sometimes overlooked by government and nonprofit organizations alike is the migrant and immigrant community. In Lahaina specifically, more than 30 percent of residents are foreign-born, and it can be difficult for these individuals to access support in a language they understand. Many immigrants also do not qualify for federal assistance, and they often harbor fears of traditional authorities. These factors have left many immigrants under the radar despite being significantly impacted by the fires.
Roots Reborn is a Maui-based multicultural immigrant justice and environmental disaster response group. The group works to empower Maui’s migrant and immigrant communities and to address their needs as they navigate the recovery process. Even one year after the wildfires, individuals continue to seek assistance from Roots Reborn for matters such as legal aid, language access, and access to recovery programs. The Roots Reborn team is composed completely of bilingual and bi-cultural members as well as immigration and human rights attorneys.
With the help of our donors in Japan and the U.S., Peace Winds has partnered with Roots Reborn to support the hiring of an additional full-time immigration attorney. This will allow the organization to expand legal representation, consultation, and advocacy services to immigrants in need. Roots Reborn also hosts regular events in community spaces where Maui residents can connect with one another and receive support services from staff members in a welcoming environment.
Hawaii Red Cross
In the weeks after the wildfires, Peace Winds staff worked alongside the Hawaii Red Cross to deliver food and hygiene items to survivors living in evacuation centers. One year later, the organization continues to help those in need by way of food distribution, shelter and hotel assistance, and recovery services including direct financial assistance. Peace Winds has contributed a portion of funds to help the Hawaii Red Cross continue its recovery activities.
Other Support Activities in the Past Year
In addition to distributing food and essential supplies immediately after the wildfires, Peace Winds partnered with three Maui-based organizations to provide both short- and long-term support over the last year. Activities have encompassed support for Maui’s pets as well as mental health counseling and grief care for children and adults.
Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation
The Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation (HARF) played an essential role in sheltering pets, providing veterinary care, and reuniting animals with their families in the wake of the fires. In addition to housing homeless cats and dogs, the HARF shelter served for several months as a home for pets who were not permitted to stay with their families in temporary government housing. In December, contributions from Peace Winds’ supporters helped provide much needed supplies and veterinary care to the animals at HARF. Funds were used to purchase high quality dog beds, pet food, and essential medical treatment for pets who were injured in the wildfires.
Nā Keiki O Emalia
An important piece of long-term recovery for any disaster-affected community is mental health. In addition to losing homes, loved ones, and their historic hometown in a matter of hours, many wildfire survivors continue to grapple with issues such as finances and housing. Coping with this level of loss is difficult enough for adults, and it is especially hard on children who have been shuffled from shelter to shelter and school to school multiple times in the past year. By the time these children bond with new friends and teachers, they have to say goodbye before readjusting to a new school and environment. In December, Peace Winds began a partnership with Nā Keiki O Emalia (NKOE) and Hospice Maui to support grief care for children and adults.
NKOE is a Maui-based organization that works with children and families who are experiencing grief and loss. As part of the programming funded by Peace Winds, NKOE has provided care to wildfire survivors through support groups, community events, and the distribution of age-appropriate books to children that help them understand their situation, process their emotions in a healthy way, and seek support from adults if needed. NKOE has also set up a number of Keiki (“children” in Hawaiian) Corners in community hubs around Maui where parents can leave their children while they access community services. To make these activities possible, NKOE and Peace Winds have provided facilitator training so staff and volunteers know how to best practice grief care.
Hospice Maui
Peace Winds’ other local partner for mental health, Hospice Maui, is a hospice center that offers grief support. From January through April, Hospice Maui hosted workshops for individuals such as counselors, social workers, teachers, call center staff, hospital staff, and first responders. Although they are professionals with years of experience in grief support and care, this type of large-scale community grief and trauma is a rare occurrence. The workshops not only provided capacity-building and foundations in trauma-informed care, but they also offered self-care opportunities for the staff and volunteers–many of whom are wildfire survivors themselves–who have been working tirelessly to support others since the disaster. Because Hawaii has strong roots in culture and community, residents often support each other rather than seeking help from professionals.
Peace Winds extends our deepest compassion to Maui’s wildfire survivors as they continue the recovery journey. We have been moved by the ways our local partners tirelessly show up for their community, and we are grateful for the support of our donors which makes our activities possible. If you would like to make a donation to Peace Winds’ activities in Maui, please visit our GlobalGiving page at the link here.