Hollywood leading man Jason Momoa is urging people not to travel to Maui, Hawaii as wildfires continue to wreak havoc on the island nation.
Taking to his Instagram page on Friday, the Honolulu native actor addressed his new messages to people who still have plans to visit the region despite the devastation.
“Maui is not the place for your vacation right now.” DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI,” he wrote.
Momoa continued, “Don’t convince yourself that your presence on an island that is suffering so badly is necessary.”
“Mahalo to all who have donated and shown aloha to the community during this time of need.”
Plead: Hawaii native Jason Momoa, 44, took to social media on Friday to urge people not to travel to Maui amid the devastation caused by the wildfires in Hawaii
“The devastation caused by the wildfires will have a lasting impact on Maui’s resources across the island,” reads a clip in the post.
Momoa, 44, returned to his Instagram page on Friday to share a video of the devastation with the caption, “All gone.”
“For those who want to see what’s left.” “Devastating drone video by @javier_cantellops #mauistrong #maui #lahaina,” the Aquaman star captioned the clip.
The video’s images are heartbreaking; with a drone capturing the charred and leveled coastal region of Lahaina, Maui County.
He shared an edited video that “honors the places we lost during the devastating wildfires.”
“Pray for Lāhaina Mahalo for this video @ikaikaloha,” Momoa wrote in the caption.
The clip details the history of Lahaina, which originally became the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1802.
“It looks like a bomb was dropped right over the city,” Momoa continues.
“I can’t believe this happened and I pray that everyone who is missing will be reunited with their ‘ohana.” This is probably the worst disaster I have ever experienced. As we honor the memories of Lāhaina’s past, let’s rebuild and restore this historic city. Maui no ka ‘oi.’
Razed to the Ground: The historic town of Lahaina, located in Maui County, was completely destroyed by the wildfires; An aerial view shows charred cars wrecking buildings on Friday, August 11
Tragic: The New York Times reported an official number of 67 fatalities on Friday
Socializing: When Momoa urged people not to take trips to Maui right now, he described the region as “not a place to vacation.”
Staying focused: The Hollywood star even urged people to ‘cancel your trip’
Keep your focus on the victims: The Aquaman star has shared videos urging people to “not fly to Maui amid the wildfires.”
Hawaii Strong: Clips claim priority should now be on ‘survivors’
Resources: The videos want fewer visitors to come to the island so resources can be allocated to residents
Leveling: A video by Javier Cantellops documented the devastation with a video of regions being leveled captioned: ‘All Gone’
Deadly wildfires: Momoa shared the video showing the current state of Maui
According to NBC News, block after block was being completely demolished in the city of Maui, which had a resident population of over 12,700 at the 2020 census.
In fact, the road to Lahaina was still closed in both directions as of Friday afternoon, three days after the blazes devastated the area; although some residents with limited access had been allowed to return earlier in the day.
Maui officials report that the burning areas have created a toxic situation, which is likely one of the reasons for the ongoing lockdowns in and around the city.
According to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a well-known disaster and risk modeling firm, the deadly wildfire is already estimated to be the second costliest disaster in Hawaiian history after Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Horrifying: The clips also showed many burned-out cars and razed buildings in the town of Lahaina, Maui
The videos claim the aftermath of the wildfires will have “lasting effects across the island”.
Proud: A native of Honolulu, Momoa has been an advocate for the island nation for years
Making a difference: Momoa also posted ways people can donate to help victims of the wildfires
Donations Required: Information will also be shared in a link in bio
Heartfelt; Momoa urged people to “pray for Lahaina” in another Instagram post.
War-Like: The Maui County coastal town ‘looks like a bomb has been dropped on it in the past few days’
The New York Times shared an evacuation order issued Friday for residents of Kaanapali, north of Lahaina, due to the spreading blaze.
Earlier on Friday, the official death toll from the devastating forest fires on the island had risen to 67.
Momoa also names three places where you can get the latest updates and support and raise awareness of those hardest hit by the wildfires.
“Āina Momona supports this fundraiser to support our Maui community. “All funds raised will be donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui County Strong Fund https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong to support disaster relief efforts on Maui,” he wrote of one.
He also shared the accounts you can follow for updates: @kakoo_haleakala @mauirapidresponse and @hawaiinewsnow.