- By Max Matza in Seattle
- BBC News
2 hours ago
Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson and Oprah Winfrey have launched a fund to provide direct payments to people in Hawaii affected by wildfires on Maui.
The People’s Fund of Maui wants to make monthly payments of $1,200 (£950) to the thousands of victims of the fires that swept across the island this month.
The two celebrities donated $10 million to kick off the fundraiser and are asking the public for additional donations.
The official death toll is 115, but many are still missing three weeks later.
The money will go to adults whose homes were destroyed by the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula, Maui.
It is available to homeowners and renters, but not to owners who do not live in the destroyed buildings.
“Working closely with a respected advisory board and the support of the local community and respected elders, this new fund will serve as a bridge to provide money directly to affected families and individuals so that they can personally decide how best to use the resources “Use it for yourself,” the fundraiser said.
“People can have their own agency and decide for themselves what they need and what their family needs – that’s our goal,” Winfrey said in a video with The Rock posted to Instagram.
“Even in the most difficult times, the people of Maui come together and we rise up – it makes us stronger,” said The Rock.
“We are extremely grateful to partner with respected Maui community leaders to launch the People’s Fund of Maui. These leaders are offering their help to ensure our fund can put money directly into the hands of those most impacted.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has offered an initial payment of $700 for immediate needs, but many said the money does little to help long-term recovery.
Winfrey lives part-time in Maui and The Rock lived in Hawaii as a child and is of part-Samoan descent.
video caption,
Oprah distributes supplies in Hawaii: ‘It’s a little overwhelming’