HONOLULU (KHON2) — It has now been over a week since a historic fire tore through Lahaina town and took a growing number of lives.

There are still recovery missions throughout the rubble and the fire is still burning.

Some people are still searching for loved ones and the world wants to know how to help.

How to find lost or separated loved ones

The American Red Cross is acting as the clearinghouse to reunite families. Family members can call 1-800-RED-CROSS for help.

A Maui woman has created an alphabetical spreadsheet of those lost or separated. The list is public and can be found on this website.

The Family Assistance Center was opened for family members who need assistance in finding loved ones. The center has been based at Kahului Community Center but the county later said it will be moved to the Hyatt Regency’s Monarchy Ballroom on Thursday, Aug. 18.

Services at the Kahului Community Center will end as of 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17 and beginning 10 a.m. the following day assistance will be available at 200 Nohea Kai Drive in Kaanapali.

Where are the shelters

There are shelters at the locations listed below. Those that are staffed by the American Red Cross are allowing individuals to receive services, whether they are staying there or not.

  • Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center – Pukalani
  • War Memorial Gymnasium – Wailuku
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Kahului
  • Kings Cathedral Church – Kahului
  • Grace Bible Church – Kahului
  • South Maui Community Park Gymnasium – Kihei

The American Red Cross is staffing the shelters at Hannibal Tavares Community Center, War Memorial and South Maui Community Park Gym. They welcome anyone who has been affected to get a hot meal, charge their phone and other essential support.

On Oahu, shelter services are available at Ke’ehi Lagoon Memorial. Evacuees will be provided water, food, showers, toiletries and clothes. Transportation will be provided from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport throughoug the day. The shuttles can be found outside of baggage claim 9 and 20.

Distribution sites

  • Lahaina Gateway Center and Napili Plaza for food, water and other needs and supplies, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Medical assistance

  • The Maui District Health Office will open a health clinic at the Comprehensive Health Center on Akoakoa Place, below the Lahaina Civic Center. The clinic will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointments are necessary and insurance is not required. For more information, call (808) 984-8201 or (808) 984-8260.
  • TRICARE is extending emergency prescription refills on Big Island and Maui from Aug. 19 to Sept. 9. Beneficiaries can take their prescription bottle to any TRICARE retail network pharmacy. Network pharmacies can be found on the Military RX website.
  • Kaiser Permanente outpatient health and medical clinics will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at:
    • War Memorial Gym, providing limited medical services 24/7
    • Lahaina Gateway Center, providing first aid and pediatric services. OB/GYN services being Aug. 14 and will be offered every Friday starting Aug. 18
    • Napili Market, providing first aid and pediatric services
    • Hyatt Regency Lahaina, providing first aid services

Transportation

  • Turo is offering subsidized short-term access to cars. Eligible residents will get paired with a Turo host and will get access to a car at no charge or at a subsidized cost. Third party liability insurance will also be provided at no cost but any damage will be the responsibility of the renter.
  • Maui Economic Opportunity is offering bus service for medical appointments, at no cost. This is for the shelters at South Maui Community Park Gym and Hannibal Tavares Community Center. The service begins Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are needed and can be made by calling (808) 877-7651.
  • New, daily shuttle service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Central Maui shelters to go to Central Maui shopping and medical locations launched Saturday. Riders must call Roberts Hawaii for reservations at (808) 871-4838.

Federal, State and County Assistance

On Friday, Aug. 18, President Joe Biden authorized additional federal funding for emergency work undertaken in Hawaii as a result of the wildfires.

FEMA has opened its first Disaster Recovery Center at UH Maui College at 310 W. Ka’ahumanu Avenue in Kahului. Specialists are able to assist survivors from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

FEMA is providing $700 one-time payment for critical needs such as food, water, medical supplies, diapers or other consumables. Also available is a program for transitional shelter assistance, which will transition survivors from shelters to hotels temporarily, with no out-of-pocket expense to the survivors. Both programs can be accessed through the FEMA app, on the FEMA website or by calling a live agent at (800) 621-3362, several languages are available.

For those who need replacement vital records, they may place an order on the State’s website. Relatives may make the request on behalf of the individual but will need to upload a copy of their own government I.D. Relatives able to make the request include: grandparent, parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin. For more information, please call the Maui Vital Records hotline at (808) 586-4602, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or email DOH.MauiVR@doh.hawaii.gov.

DMV services will be available at the Lahaina Satellite Office, beginning Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Duplicates will be reissued at no charge with the cardholder’s principal address on record.

The Hawaii State Bar Association has opened a free legal hotline in response to the fires on Maui and Big Island. Callers can expect information on FEMA, document replacement and claims for insurance. The hotline opens Tuesday and will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday until Aug. 17, opening their lines at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hotline number is (808) 533-2773.

The Office of Consumer Protection put a price freeze into effect for the island of Maui. “The price freeze now in effect for the Island of Maui means that commodities must be sold at pre-emergency price levels.” Commodities sold above the pre-emergency price is considered a violation of state law.

The State put out a fraud alert about lawyers contacting impacted individuals. Only a qualified Hawaii licensed attorney can represent you. To find a lawyer’s license status, you can visit the Hawaii State Bar Association’s website.

Agricultural operations impacted by the wildfires may contact the HDOA’s Agricultural Loan Program on O‘ahu at (808) 973-9458 for more information and to begin the process of applying for low-interest agricultural emergency loans. Loan applicants would need to provide estimates of losses and should document the damage with photos.

The DOH Maui Community Health Center, located at 121 Mahalani St., is available for crisis mental health services. The clinic is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and have expanded their hours to Saturday and Sunday between the same hours. Individuals can contact them at (808) 984-2150 or email mauiwellness@doh.hawaii.gov. Local crisis counselors are also available after hours by calling (808) 832-3100, (800) 753-6879 or call/text/chat 988.

Low-interest loans are now available for businesses through the SBA. Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. Residents must first contact FEMA but SBA will provided one-on-one assistance when federal recovery centers open in the area.

Homeowners can also receive loans from SBA up to $500,000 to repair or replace real estate. Up to $100,000 is available to homeowners or renters to repair or replace personal property or personal vehicles. SBA can be reached at (800) 659-2955.

HUD is providing a 90-day moratorium on on foreclosures of FHA insured mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. Homeowners must call their mortgage or loan servicer for this program. The FHA Resource Center can be reached at (800) 304-9320 for more information. HUD also announced a waiver package which provides flexibility such as: allowing new housing construction with grant funding, extending the time period that temporary assistance can be received. For more information on the waiver package visit the HUD website.

Free Childcare

Kama’aina Kids is offering free emergency childcare for impacted families at their Kahului location at 256 Hina Ave. Ages two to five are welcome from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, starting Aug. 17. Registration is on their website. Project Camp is also offering a day camp at Maui Family YMCA in Kahului from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for kids six to 16. The program is free and includes lunch. More information is available on the Project Camp website.

Keiki grief relief

Nā Keiki O Emalia is hosting a grief relief event for keiki on Sunday, Aug. 20. It will be held at the Cameron Center at 95 Mahalani St. in Wailuku, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. It is described as a “moment of respite from the overwhelming loss and grief Maui residents are experiencing after the fires” that will feature art projects, a bouncy house and gaming room. Parents and caregivers will be provided resources for supporting their children through the grieving process.

Power and Communications

HECO is offering free WiFi and phone service at these shelters: War Memorial, Kihei Gym and Hannibal Tavares Community Center.

AT&T will be donating loaner phones and activating service free of charge, a representative said in a news conference on Aug. 14. The phones are on their way to the island.

T-Mobile said in an news release on Aug. 17 that they will be giving out phones with two months of free service and charging supplies at their Lahaina Store, starting Aug. 17 through Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They stated in a previous news release that they will provide unlimited talk, text and data through the end of August to those who are not already on unlimited plans. They also sent a COW (Cell on Wheels) to provide coverage in Lahaina.

Verizon is waiving talk, text and data usage from Aug. 10 – 31 for customers on Maui. Voice coverage has been restored in the West Maui area and charging stations have been setup at the following shelter: Hannibal Tavares Community Center, War Memorial, South Maui Community Gym and King’s Cathedral.

Banks

CPB is waiving ATM and safe deposit box fees and are expediting debit card and checkbook replacement. They said the Lahaina branch and three ATMs survived the fire but remain closed due to power and data outages. They have setup a phone line to prioritize calls from impacted people. That number is (808) 871-0505.

Bank of Hawaii is offering a forbearance program and extension program on loans for those impacted by the fires. Customers may call (800) 888-9275 or (808) 694-1500, real estate customers can call (877) 926-7297 or (808) 694-7297.

Free storage

U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-box usage to those impacted by the fires. Residents can call the U-Haul of Maui-Kahului at (808) 249-8041.

Free shipping

Aloha Air Cargo is waiving fees to ship goods to Maui. The shipping must be pre-booked and there must be someone on Maui to receive it.

Help for music industry professionals

The Henry Kapono Foundation has launched a program to provide emergency basic essentials to music industry professionals. The “We Are Friends Maui” fund is offering $500 Foodland gift cards to professional entertainment families who were affected by the fires on their website.