Oprah Winfrey vowed to lend a hand in the effort to rebuild following the Maui wildfires.
Winfrey, 69, promised to make a “major donation” to the residents and areas affected by the wildfires that have turned Hawaii into “hell.”
The ongoing natural disaster is already being called one of the deadliest in the state’s history, and the death toll has risen to 96 as of Monday morning.
“You know what this week has taught me is that when you don’t know what to do…you do whatever you can,” the former talk show host said in a video posted to Instagram.
“I went to visit one of the big shelters here at the War Memorial [Stadium] and asked people what it is they needed and then went shopping for some things, some, you know, basic things like towels and sheets and shampoo and other necessities.”
She continued, “And at some point, I will make a major donation after all of the smoke and ash have settled here and we figure out what the rebuilding is going to look like.”
Winfrey, who has multiple properties on the island and has spent more than 15 years living there part-time, admitted that rebuilding “is going to be a long and difficult process.”
She shared that she’s met many people, including a man named Julius, at the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, which has been converted into a shelter and resource center, as she was handing out supplies and speaking with victims.
“I said, ‘Julius, tell me what you need,’ because his legs were covered in bandages where he had to run to escape the fire,” Winfrey said. “And he said to me that he could ‘feel his skin popping’ as he was running. He got out of his car because the tires were melting and he couldn’t move forward and just started to run.”
She added, “And when I said, ‘tell me what you need’ he said, ‘Ma’am, I need nothing. My life is now my greatest gift. I have my life.’”
Despite the deadly wildfires, which were first reported on Aug. 8, Winfrey said she saw nothing but love within the community — “they are so grateful just to have each other.”
“[There] is such an incredible spirit going on in this entire community. I know that, long after the camera crews are gone and the rest of the world has moved on, the rebuilding will just begin. And Hawaiians are a strong cultural people and a family-loving people and with the help and support, you’re going to hear a lot of Phoenix stories rising from the ashes here.”‘
“With help and support, you’re going to see a lot of phoenix stories rising from the ashes here,” Winfrey concluded her video.
This announcement comes after a TV crew accompanying the media personality was turned away at the door due to a no-media policy inside the War Memorial Complex.
Aside from her 15-year part-time life in Maui, she is one of the largest landholders on the island, owning more than 2,000 acres of land in Kula and Hana. As of now, it’s unknown if any of her property has been damaged by the wildfires.
She did not reveal how much she would be donating or where she would donate.
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