Hawaii Wildfire Relief
August 2023 – December 2024
Last updated: April 2024
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) is responding to the devastating series of wildfires that ripped through Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023. Alongside meeting the critical needs of those impacted, we are exploring avenues to provide sustained long-term support for communities recovering from the wildfires.
Our Work
Since being contacted by the Hawaii Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (Hawaii VOAD), AHAH first provided remote support, coordinating volunteers for local organizations – ensuring vital housing and resources were available for evacuees and internally displaced persons in the aftermath of the wildfires. Now, operating from the community of Lahaina, on Maui, AHAH is addressing the critical needs of those impacted.
Nāpili Noho is a community hub initiated by Lahainan families to support those impacted by wildfires. What began as a small operation of “families helping families” in Nāpili Park has evolved into a large, vital resource distribution and essential services center involving new daily teams of volunteers. Still run by the same core team, the hub offers essential supplies like food, clothing and blankets, along with services such as job and benefits assistance, childcare, tutoring and access to computers and the internet. AHAH’s efforts since arriving have involved supporting the work of Nāpili Noho, both with volunteer coordination and the distribution of essential items. In this way, we ensure our work is not only influenced by the community but authentically owned by them.
In conjunction with our work at Nāpili Noho, our team is exploring avenues to support the long-term recovery needs of those impacted. With over 2,200 buildings destroyed in Lahaina alone, there is a vast need for home, school and community center rebuilds.
Current Activities
At the Nāpili Noho Community Hub, the team has served 720 individuals and 180 families weekly, supporting local disaster relief by sorting and distributing crucial supplies to those most in need.
In support of the Hua Momona Farm Foundation, a local nonprofit providing hot meals and fresh local produce, volunteers have been planting, harvesting and preparing 800-1000 hot meals per week for underserved Maui communities.
We have been assisting the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) deliver kits to individuals affected by the wildfires. The organization operates a distribution hub providing essential home kits, complete with appliances, food and cleaning supplies, to those who have lost their homes.
Community Member Spotlight
Kaipo Kekona is a Maui resident and Lahaina local supporting his community through his steadfast contributions to Nāpili Noho. The day after the fire’s devastation in Lahaina, Kaipo knew he had to help his neighbors in need. He wasted no time in harvesting his farm’s crops and cooking meals out of his home. Together with his family, they served their community over 160 meals that day.
Disaster Profile
High winds caused by Hurricane Dora, low humidity and a high-pressure system created terrible fire conditions in Hawaii, igniting multiple wildfires in August 2023. The wildfires have left towns in ruins, and with the death toll at 115, they mark the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in over a century. The estimated damage totals approximately $5.6 billion, with over 2,200 structures destroyed. Of these, 86% were residential, leaving 4,500 people internally displaced and temporarily relocated to hotels for shelter.
All Hands and Hearts ©2024
