The Christian humanitarian organization World Help is focusing its efforts on assisting Maui residents who have been affected by the flames that ravaged the Hawaiian island, killing at least 55 people in Lahaina and destroying hundreds of houses and businesses.
World Help is “working with local partners on the ground to assess the greatest areas of additional need” and “will offer aid through partners already working in the Lahaina, Hawaii, area,” according to a statement distributed to The Christian Post.
World Help President Noel Brewer Yeatts added: “Maui has been absolutely devastated by these wildfires. Our partners in Lahaina tell us that there is very little left standing and that it looks like a war zone. So many people have lost everything—their homes, and their livelihoods.”
“It’s going to take years to heal and rebuild, and World Help wants to do our part so that families and communities can begin that healing process,” he added.
World Help has posted a donation page specifically to benefit the victims of the Maui wildfires.
The wildfires began on Aug. 8, fueled by a mixture of a dry summer and winds from a hurricane that went near the Hawaiian island.
Maui County officials reported on Wednesday that there had been 36 confirmed deaths; another 17 deaths were confirmed on Thursday afternoon, followed by two more by the end of the day, and an additional two deaths on Friday, bringing the death toll to at least 55.
According to a county update posted in the predawn hours of Friday, firefighters continue to battle fires and “flare-ups” in Lahaina, Pulehu, Kihei, and Upcountry Maui.
The Honolulu Fire Department and a nine-member search-and-rescue team aided the firefighting effort. Hawaii’s disaster declaration request has been approved, making federal funding available for those affected.
Assistance includes grants for housing, home repairs, low-cost loans, and other programs. Federal funding also supports debris removal and emergency protective measures in Maui County and Hawaii County.