Oprah Winfrey has pledged a "major donation" to help rebuild Maui after the island was devastated by Hawaii's wild fires.
Oprah Winfrey has promised to hand over a substantial donation to help everyone affected by the wildfires in Hawaii
The TV talk show titan - who owns a home on Maui - has been visiting survivors at a shelter there after blazes ripped across the landscape there leaving at least 93 people dead and totally destroying the town of the town of Lahaina and now she's promised some serious financial help to look after the residents of Maui.
In a video posted on Instagram, Oprah said: "You know what this week as taught me - when you don't know what to do, you do whatever you can ... I went to visit one of the big shelters here at the War Memorial and asked people what it is they needed and then went shopping for some things some basic things like towels and sheets and shampoo and other necessities. And at some point I will make a major donation after all the smoke and the ashes have settled here and we figure out what the rebuilding is going to look like. This is going to be a long and difficult process but spending time at the shelter I have met so many incredible people ... "
She went on to praise the community spirit of the Maui residents and promised her continued support "after all the camera crews are gone".
Oprah went on to say: "I've seen so many families who are sharing a cot, an air mattress and have nothing else left to their names but they are so grateful just to have each other. And there's such an incredible spirit going on in this entire community people helping other people. And I know that long after all the camera crews are gone and the rest of the world has moved on, the rebuilding will just begin. And Hawaiians are just a strong, cultural people and a family-loving people and with the help and support you're going to see a lot of phoenix stories rising from the ashes here."
It comes after Oprah visited a shelter in Wailuku with a CBS camera crew in tow, but was told filming wouldn't be allowed inside.
In a statement, the County of Maui said: "Out of respect for those who have come to seek safety and shelter at emergency shelters, our policy remains that no media are given access.'
"We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster and appreciate her understanding of our policy of no camera crews or reporters in our emergency shelters. Mahalo."
Oprah was allowed in to visit people in the shelter but the cameras had to remain outside. She previously visited a shelter on the island where she was seen handing out essentials including shampoo and nappies to those who had lost their homes.
Others who have pledged help include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez who are are “heartbroken” over the Maui wildfires and have donated $100 million as part of a Maui Fund to help fight the hellish fallout from the blazes.
Hollywood actor Jason Momoa - who was born in Honolulu - also expressed his concern about the disaster revealing his friends and loved ones have been caught up in the chaos.
Sharing a link for people to donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui County Strong Fund to provide relief, Jason wrote on Instagram: "We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and 'ohana on Maui who been impacted by the recent wildfires."
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