Celebrities from Jason Momoa to Oprah Winfrey lend a hand to Maui
Jason Momoa is urging tourists not to travel to Maui amid the devastating wildfires that have ravaged the island.
The actor has been active on social media this week, spreading awareness as wildfires have torn through the Big Island and Maui, decimating the historic town of Lahaina. Now he’s pleading with tourists to stay away.
“Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now,” the Honolulu-born actor captioned a video he shared via Instagram. “Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply. Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need.”
In the montage, flames are seen ripping through the island, with a message overlaying the devastating footage: “Do not travel to Maui. If you were planning on traveling to Maui in the near future, cancel your trip. The devastation from the wildfires will have a lasting island-wide impact on Maui’s resources. Our community needs time to heal, grieve & restore. That means the less visitors on island taking up critical resources that have become extremely limited the better.”
The video continued by urging, “Do not book a hotel stay. The American Hotel & Lodging Association and Hawaii Hotel Alliance are currently working with hotels in other part(s) of Hawaii to house displaced residents. Survivors are the priority.”
Eighty people have died, dozens have been injured and hundreds of structures have been destroyed in the wildfires that have torn through Maui this week, forcing thousands to flee their homes and reducing much of the historic town of Lahaina to ash. Nearly 1,000 people are still missing.
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Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is offering a helping hand to Maui residents and she’s not alone among celebrities expressing their concerns.
The billionaire talk show host, who is a part-time resident of the island, delivered a variety of supplies Thursday at a shelter in Wailuku, two days after the fire hit the historic town of Lahaina.
“It’s a little overwhelming … but I’m really so pleased to have so many people … supporting and, you know, people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can,” she told the BBC.
An Instagram video shared by nonprofit organization Kako‘o Haleakala showed the OWN personality, dressed in sweats and wearing a hat and dark glasses, carrying pillows and giving one to a resident lying on a cot. The account thanked Winfrey “for following through” by also delivering cots and toiletries.
“She even spent some time with the people here. It was very much appreciated,” the caption said.
Winfrey also told the BBC she “went shopping” at Walmart and Costco to get her supplies, which also included shampoo, diapers, sheets and pillowcases. In recent years and months, the mogul’s properties in Montecito also faced a variety of natural disasters, including floods and fires.
As the fires broke out, Winfrey and her Hollywood peers spoke out to raise awareness and voice support for Maui residents. “Fast X” actor Jason Momoa recently shared a set of informational photos from environmental nonprofit ‘Aina Momona.
“We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and ‘ohana on Maui who (have) been impacted by the recent wildfires,” Momoa, a Native Hawaiian, wrote. He also shared a link to resources.
Musician Mick Fleetwood mourned the wildfire destruction, writing Thursday on Instagram, “MAUI and The Lahaina community have been my home for several decades.” The Fleetwood Mac rocker owned a waterfront restaurant and bar, Fleetwood’s, that was lost to the flames.
“On behalf of myself and my family I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of MAUI,” he continued. “We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days month(s) and years to come.”
Actor Pierce Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye Brosnan, — who have a home on Kauai — also brought awareness to the wildfires. Keely shared a video of a beach sunset Thursday and encouraged followers to take action.
“My sincere and heartfelt prayers for Maui & Hawai‘i Counties, the Hawaiian community, residents, families and animals affected by these unprecedented wildfires,” she wrote. “If you are able, please consider making a donation to the Hawaii / Maui Community Foundation to help those in need.”
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L.A. Times staff writers Alexandra E. Petri, Richard Winton, Jack Dolan, Jaweed Kaleem and Summer Lin contributed to this report.