The Maui wildfires have taken a horrific toll on the island.
As everybody watches the video coming out of Hawaii, Maui officials provided an update on the devastation this morning:
“As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire.”
This fire has engulfed the island, overwhelming hospitals with burn victims, burning down entire towns, and leaving thousands without shelter or power.
The Hawaiian Governor, Josh Green, told CNN that once the fires are contained, he estimates “billions of dollars of structural damage.”
In efforts to support the citizens of Maui, many public figures outside of the government are banding together to raise funds to help.
Kip Moore is one of them.
Moore has a personal connection to the island as he lived on the beaches of Hawaii as a broke adult. And yes you heard that right: He lived on the beach, not a house, where the sand met his toes.
He would often go days without eating during this time and used a student ID that he found to sneak into a nearby university to load up on dining hall food when he came across the money.
While he loved living in his little paradise, he knew music was his calling, bringing him to Nashville.
Moore took to Twitter today to share his heartache regarding the destruction of the island and offer his support to its occupants.
“I have been in a complete fog the last 24 hours. Seeing all the videos and photos of the devastation that is happening in Maui.
Anyone who has followed this page for any length of time knows that it’s not just a place that I go; it’s home. I have developed the strongest friendship of my life there. The kind of people that would truly do anything for you if you asked them.
So, I guess I am making this to say to anyone that is watching from Maui that is seeing this video there are a lot of people talking about you, there are a lot of people that want to help…that are going to help.
I know it’s going to be a long road back to rebuilding, but there are people that want to jump on board to help that process.
I have already been on the phone with different artist friends of mine, agents, and managers, trying to figure out how quickly we can get over there and do a show to raise funds to help that process…get it moving.
Even talking to different construction companies that might want to team up to help with this process.
Just wanted to say there are so many people on the mainland thinking about you guys, and we want to help.”
Kip Moore linked the Community Foundation fund that he helped curate, called One Heartbeat Hawaii Fund, in his tweet for viewers to directly donate. The fund aims to empower low-income residents to rebuild their financial stability by alleviating hardships inflicted from the fire’s destruction.
It is also noted in the fund’s description that Kip Moore will be donating a percentage from each ticket sale on his current tour to the fund.
Our thoughts are with all of the citizens right now and the families that have lost loved ones in the fire.
If you want to donate to help out, click HERE to donate to the One Heartbeat Hawaii Fund.
