Question: I gave to the Maui Strong Fund and wondered how they are spending the money.

Answer: More than $110.5 million was donated to the Maui Strong Fund as of Friday, of which more than $18.5 million has been awarded to about 100 organizations, according to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which administers the fund.

The foundation’s website lists each group awarded money, the amount and the work the group is doing on Maui. Categories include animal welfare; baby and maternal care; children and family; communications, logistics and transportation; food and supplies; health care; immigrant services; lodging and shelter; mental health and grief counseling; and multifaceted efforts. See details at hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/strengthening/maui-strong-fund. The largest grant so far, a total of $3.5 million in two awards to Maui Economic Opportunity Inc., is mainly for rental assistance for people who lost their homes in the fire.

New grant applications are being reviewed weekly. The website says that “501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for financial resources from the Maui Strong Fund. Non-501(c)(3) organizations are encouraged to find an existing 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to serve as fiscal sponsor, and submitted projects must be charitable in nature. Individuals are not eligible to apply.”

The fund will be used to support immediate, midrange and long-term recovery.

Smoke testing

The city’s Department of Environmental Services plans to “smoke test” part of Nanakuli’s wastewater collection system from Wednesday through Sept. 29, weather permitting. Residents might see wispy white smoke emanating from manhole covers and other locations.

“ENV crews pump non-toxic smoke into sewer pipes, examine, and record locations where the smoke escapes. The smoke is harmless with minimal odor and neither a fire hazard nor a health hazard to humans and pets,” the department said Monday in a news release.

The testing, set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., is part of ENV’s standard maintenance to prevent rainwater from entering the sewer system, the news release said. Residents with dwellings that have any seldom-used drains are asked to run ample water through those drains before testing begins Wednesday. Otherwise, if the drain trap is dried up, smoke might enter the dwelling, which also could occur if the home has faulty plumbing, the news release said.

It rarely happens, the department said, but if smoke does enter the home, the resident should open the windows for ventilation and inform ENV employees running the test. “People and pets with chronic respiratory illnesses” should go outside, the news release said.

The department regularly alerts the public when smoke testing occurs in neighborhoods throughout Oahu. We’re explaining the process in detail this time because the Maui wildfires have left some residents on edge at the sight of smoke.

The department’s website explains that a machine pumps nontoxic liquid smoke into a manhole, where the smoke runs along the city’s sewer line and then into private plumbing lines that connect to the city’s system. “If all is well, smoke will spiral out of small vents on house roofs. Smoke coming from a rain gutter or downspout is a sign that the gutters are draining into the sewer system instead of the storm drain or onto the grass. Smoke that pours out of the cleanout pipe in the yard may indicate a broken or missing cap,” the website says.

ENV workers are present for the tests and document the results. Homeowners are notified by mail if their plumbing has leaks. “Down spouts, yard drains and cleanout caps are easy and inexpensive to fix and must be promptly corrected by the property owner. Scheduling to correct the more costly problems may be negotiated with the city. If the problem is underground on private property, homeowners may have to pay to replace the pipes,” the website says.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.