Floyd Mayweather and Oprah Winfrey are coming to the aid of Maui residents. As The Shade Room previously reported, the island and its residents have been impacted by the spread of wildfires which began Tuesday.
According to AP News, the emergency has decimated an entire town and claimed the lives of at least 55 people.
RELATED: Help For Hawaii: President Biden Says Victims Of Maui Wildfires Will ‘Get Help Immediately’ As Death Toll Hits At Least 36
How Floyd Mayweather & Oprah Winfrey Have Stepped In To Assist Maui Residents
According to TMZ, former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather has assisted 68 families in leaving Maui and “flying to safety” in Honolulu. Additionally, he has reportedly provided the entire group with “a place to stay, food to eat, and clothing to wear” since the disaster unfolded.
The outlet adds that Mayweather will provide the group with “hotel rooms,” catered food, and clothing for the upcoming weeks.
In addition to Floyd Mayweather, talk show host and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, is also giving aid to the island’s residents. According to BBC, the 69-year-old was spotted handing out supplies at Maui’s war memorial stadium on Thursday.
BBC reports that Winfrey visited the stadium at an earlier point “to ask what people needed.” Then returned with a plethora of supplies.
Additionally, the 69-year-old spoke with the outlet, sharing her thoughts and plans.
“It’s a little overwhelming, you know,” she said before a long pause. “But I’m really so pleased to have so many people, you know, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can.”
Winfrey then shared why she went out to purchase the supplies independently instead of making a large donation to the relief efforts.
“So I came earlier, just to see what people needed, and then went shopping because often you make donations of clothes or whatever, and it’s not really what people need,” she explained. “So I actually went to Walmart and Costco and got pillows, shampoo, diapers, sheets, pillowcases.”
After Winfrey concluded her statements, the footage showed her placing the supplies on the resident’s beds at the stadium. Additionally, a photo shared via Instagram showed her posing alongside Maui evacuees.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Winfrey is also a longtime Maui resident. In March, she purchased 870 acres of land on the island. According to PEOPLE, Winfrey has been a resident of the island for over 15 years and owns over 2,000 acres of land there.
More Details Regarding The Wildfire Emergency In Maui
As The Shade Room previously reported, the disaster began Tuesday evening. At the time, it was noted that 2,000 acres of Maui land were decimated. On Thursday, it was then reported that 36 people lost their lives.
The scene in Lahaina, Maui this morning is absolutely devastating.
The entire town is being destroyed by an intense wildfire, forcing residents to sheek shelter in the ocean.
Make no mistake, climate change is making scenes like this more frequent. pic.twitter.com/dttFnAwEeJ
— Edgar McGregor (@edgarrmcgregor) August 9, 2023
As of Friday, AP News reports that the death toll has risen to 55. Additionally, the outlet adds that there is no current indication that “warning sirens” alerted residents of the oncoming disaster. Instead, residents say they were only made aware of the disaster after they saw flames nearby.
According to the outlet, the incident is the deadliest that the Hawaiin island has seen since a tsunami that killed 61 people in 1960.
