Wildfires burned in parts of Maui on August 9, burning structures in historic Lahaina Town causing mass evacuations. The hospitals on the island of Maui are overwhelmed with burn patients and people suffering from smoke inhalation, hampering response is the difficulty of transporting surge patients to other hospitals on other islands in Hawaii.
Medical shipments are on the way to local organizations, including Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, a group responding to needs, including those of pregnant women, newborns, and their families that have been displaced or impacted by the fires.
A shipment for the group departed August 9 and included emergency medical backpacks, for triage care outside of clinic walls, and a wildfire response kit, specifically built with medical essentials commonly requested during wildfires, which includes respiratory medications and PPE.
More than 300 personal care kits, with hygiene items, including soap and toothpaste, for people displaced due to evacuation, have also been sent.
Shipments will continue this week, and Direct Relief is in contact with the Hawaii Department of Health, the Federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR) Region 9, the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and more than 15 other healthcare facilities in Hawaii in response to the recent outbreak of wildfires.
In addition to acute medical issues such as burns and smoke inhalation, wildfires can also prompt mass evacuations, creating further health risks. When people are suddenly displaced from their homes, they may leave without critical medications to manage chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. If unmanaged, these conditions can escalate, leaving the person requiring emergency care at a time when urgent care centers and emergency rooms are already inundated.
Direct Relief will continue to respond to medical needs as requested.
