Jason Momoa urges people NOT to travel to Maui amid deadly wildfires: ‘Don’t convince yourself your presence is needed’
Hollywood lead actor Jason Momoa is urging people not to travel to Maui, Hawaii the forest fires continue to wreak havoc on the island nation.
The Honolulu native took to his Instagram page on Friday and sent his new messages to people who still have plans to visit the region amid the devastation.
Maui is not the place to spend your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI,” he wrote.
Momoa continued, “Don’t convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering so much.
“Mahalo to all who have donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need.”
Plea: Hawaii native Jason Momoa, 44, took to social media Friday to urge people not to travel to Maui amid the devastation of the Hawaiian wildfires
“The devastation from the wildfires will have a lasting island-wide impact on Maui’s resources,” an excerpt in the post read.
Momoa, 44, returned to his Instagram page on Friday to share a video of the devastation, captioning it, “All gone.”
“For those who want to see what’s left. Devastating drone video of @javier_cantellops #mauistrong #maui #lahaina,” the Aquaman star captioned the clip.
The images of the video are heartbreaking; with a drone capturing the charred and leveled coastal area of Lahaina, Maui County.
He shared an edited video that “honours 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 was originally the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1802.
“Looks like a bomb has been dropped on the city,” Momoa’s caption explains.
“I can’t believe this happened and I pray that everyone who has gone missing is reunited with their ‘ohana. This is probably the worst disaster I’ve experienced so far. As we honor the memories of Lāhaina’s past, let’s rebuild and restore this historic town. Maui no ka’oi.’
Razed to the ground: The historic town of Lahaina, which is in Maui County, suffered black after a block of complete destruction from the wildfires; an aerial photo shows charred cars demolishing buildings on Friday, August 11
Tragic: The New York Times reports that the official death toll stood at 67 earlier Friday
Going Social: When Momoa urged people not to travel to Maui now, Momoa described the region as “not a place to vacation”
Staying focused: The Hollywood star went so far as to urge people to ‘cancel your trip’
Keeping focus on victims: The Aquaman star shared videos urging people not to fly to Maui amid the wildfires
Hawaii strong: The clips claim that the priority should now be on ‘survivors’
Resources: The videos want fewer visitors on the island so resources can be allocated to residents
Leveled: A video by Javier Cantellops documented the devastation with a video of leveled regions with the caption: ‘Everything gone’
Deadly Wildfires: Momoa shared the video capturing the state of Maui at the moment
Block after block of buildings in the city of Maui, which had a population of more than 12,700 according to the 2020 census, according to NBC news.
In fact, the road to Lahaina was still closed in both directions Friday afternoon, three days after flames devastated the area; although some restricted residents were allowed in earlier in the day.
Officials in Maui report that the burning areas have created a toxic situation, which is likely one of the reasons for the ongoing closures in and around the city.
The deadly wildfire is already becoming the second costliest disaster in Hawaii’s history, after Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a leading disaster and risk modeling firm.
Horrifying: The clips also showed many burnt-out cars and razed buildings in the Maui town of Lahaina
The videos claim that the aftermath of the wildfires will have a “lasting impact on the entire island.”
Pride: A native of Honolulu, Momoa has been a supporter of the island nation over the years
Making a Difference: Momoa also posted ways people can donate to help the victims of the wildfires
Donations needed: Information will also be shared in a link in bio
Sincerely; Momoa urged people to “pray for Lahaina” in another Instagram post
Belligerent: Maui County coastal town ‘looks like a bomb has been dropped in recent days’
The New York Times shared an evacuation order issued Friday for residents of Kaanapali, just north of Lahaina, because of the spreading flames.
Earlier on Friday, the official death toll from the devastating forest fires on the island rose to 67.
Momoa would share three places you can go to get the latest updates, as well as support and raise awareness for those most affected by the wildfires.
“Aina Momona is creating this fundraiser to support our community in Maui. All money raised will be given to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui County Strong Fund https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong to support emergency relief on Maui,” he wrote on a .
He also shared the accounts to follow for updates: @kakoo_haleakala @mauirapidresponse and @hawaiinewsnow.