Maui’s richest part-time resident Jeff Bezos and his partner, Lauren Sanchez, have said they will donate $100 million to help victims of the Maui wildfires.
In a statement issued by Sanchez, she said: ‘Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui. We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated.
“The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer-term rebuilding that will have to happen, even after much of the attention has subsided.
“Jeff are I are creating a Maui fund and are dedicating $100 million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves.
Bezos has property on the islands alongside stars including Oprah, Larry Ellison, Clint Eastwood and Steven Tyler, DailyMail.com reports.
At least 80 people have been killed in Maui’s wildfires, officials said late Friday, as search efforts for survivors are ongoing and many remain missing.
The death toll rose from an announced 67 earlier Friday, making the fires the largest natural disaster in the state’s history. The death toll continued to climb Friday, surpassing the state’s record natural disaster death toll of 61 from a 1960 tsunami that hit Hilo Bay.
