Maui Wildfire Relief & Recovery

It has been more than four months since deadly wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii beginning on August 8. Since then, Peace Winds has been supporting a range of programs to help Maui residents, including by distributing emergency food and goods to community members and by funding organizations providing much-needed grief support.

Not only did the fires affect humans, but they also left many animals without homes or families. In many cases, even families and pets who survived the disaster together are separated because temporary government housing does not allow animals. So, two weeks after the disaster, Peace Winds teams traveled to the island where they met with the Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation (HARF), and arranged to support its work. HARF has been providing shelter to those animals in need. 

Many other pets are still waiting to reunite with their families while also struggling with anxiety and trauma following the fires. Peace Winds has been donating supplies and money for vet care to HARF with support from many Japanese private donors.

In early December, two Peace Winds staff visited Maui and reunited with HARF. We spoke to Dawn, the CEO, and Richard, the Chief Operations Officer of HARF. Dawn emphasized the importance of having durable pet supplies in the shelter, especially for things like cots which can be easily broken or chewed up. Although easily breakable items are donated to HARF with good intentions, they can become useless in a short period of time, and on a small island like Maui, bulky waste like pet beds can cause a big problem. Following this conversation, Peace Winds opted to donate heavy-duty animal cots chosen by HARF so that they will last for years. 

Richard also discussed another problem that is now arising more than four months on from the disaster. Humans were not allowed in large portions of the affected areas for weeks or months due to the air toxicity, so HARF and other rescuers are just now discovering many small animals, like cats and small dogs, who took shelter in small spaces like drainage channels. These pets have sadly been left behind since August 8, surviving on contaminated food and water and breathing toxic air. The HARF team is concerned that these newly rescued animals may have long-term health issues such as lung cancer, causing the cost of vet care to double or triple.

Most pets living in the shelter have been missing human interaction. When Peace Winds team members entered the room, many of the animals approached the staff to be petted. We believe in the strength of the Maui community in rebuilding what has been lost, and in reuniting pets with their families. We look forward to continuing to support Maui’s recovery, and we would like to thank our followers and donors who make our work possible.