For These SoCal Residents, The Deadly Maui Fire Hit Close To Home. Now They're Mobilizing Aid Efforts

San Clemente resident Kati Kai Engle was born and raised in the town of Lahaina on Maui. Her grandfather immigrated to the island from Japan, and for three generations, Lahaina has been her family’s home.

Now, a fourth generation may never get to see it. A swift firestorm this week burned much of it to the ground.

“It's hard for me to have a 2-year-old daughter and know that she may not ever get to experience it the way that we have been able to growing up there,” Engle told LAist. “These are the streets that my father grew up on, that my grandfather walked.”

For Hawaiains, the town also carries deep historical significance, serving as the capital and home of Hawaii’s monarchy for decades.

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As of Friday evening, the death toll was near 70, with numbers expected to climb as recovery efforts continue. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed 11 members of the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces to aid in the effort.

SoCal residents step up to pitch in

While federal and state efforts are underway, residents in Southern California are also pitching to help.

After learning that her family and lifelong friends were suddenly displaced from their homes, Engle knew she needed to help. So she started a disaster relief organization with another friend from Maui called Community Relief Maui.

After going live on Aug. 9, they have nearly 2,000 followers on Instagram where they regularly post updates on their efforts. So far, they have organized private flights to Maui filled with supplies starting early next week, and have freight shipments going out with H20 Logistics over the next two weeks.

With support from fellow organizers on Maui, Engle hopes fellow SoCal residents will support their efforts. To help, they have recruited local businesses across the region to serve as donation hubs.

One business joining is Oasis Tanning Salon in Ventura. When the owner’s daughter, Farinn Randazzo, heard about Community Relief Maui, she reached out to see if she could help.

“I am lucky enough to have lived on Maui and have a lot of close friends there. My best friend, in particular, lost her home in Lahaina,” she said.

As soon as the salon announced they were accepting donations, Randazzo says they immediately began to receive donations from people excited to help.

“It’s been really amazing to see people reaching out to me to ask what they can do for this community that they’ve never even been to,” she said.

Other groups in Southern California are gathering aid to Maui. Amid L.A.’s summer of strikes, nonprofit Labor Community Services (LCS) is diverting some of its resources to the island.

An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.

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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

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AFP

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“When there’s a major earthquake in Southern California, we’re all going to have to work together to make sure that our communities survive and thrive,” executive director Armando Olivas said.

Despite being a labor-focused organization, Olivas considers it necessary that they find a way to assist when natural disaster hits.

LCS is collecting supplies with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, which represents dock workers in the area, and putting together a few shipping containers bound for Maui.

“People are very generous, no matter where the disaster is in the country, or in the world — we really appreciate that,” Olivas said.

Here’s just a few ways you can help