Hawaii Wildfire: Billionaire Jeff Bezos and Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez Pledge USD 100 Million to Aid Maui's Recovery From Bushfire
In an Instagram post late on Friday, Sanchez wrote that they "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".
San Francisco, August 12: Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez have announced a $100 million fund to help with recovery efforts for the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. Eighty people were confirmed to have been killed by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, according to officials, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history.
In an Instagram post late on Friday, Sanchez wrote that they "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". Hawaii Wildfires: Death Toll Rises to 80 as Wildfires Rage Across Maui Island, Evacuations Underway (See Pic and Video).
"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," she added.
According to earlier reports, Bezos purchased a 14-acre estate on La Perouse Bay for an estimated $78 million last year. The bay is less than 20 miles south of fires in South Maui. Hawaii Wildfires: Death Toll Rises to 67 as Wildfires Continue to Cause Destruction on Island of Maui (See Pics and Videos).
In May, Bezos, 59, and Sanchez, 53, got engaged and threw engagement parties. They started dating in 2018 and reportedly went public with their relationship after the Amazon billionaire divorced his first wife MacKenzie Scott in 2019. Meanwhile, West Maui, where Lahaina is located, is still without power and water. Search crews are still in the area looking for wildfire victims.
More than 1,000 buildings had been destroyed in Lahaina, a coastal town with a rich history that attracts some two million tourists a year. Wildfires on Hawaii's Maui island and Big Island began on Tuesday night. The cause is still not known but once lit, hurricane winds and dry weather helped fuel the flames.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 12, 2023 04:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).