Mia Tyler, the daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, and her six-year-old son Axton were able to escape safely from Maui, which was devastated by wildfires.
The star of “Rush Hour 3” and her young son were able to escape by plane from the Hawaiian island where at least 93 people died.
And 44-year-old Mia warned that the damage was “much worse” than the pictures shown in the media.
Sharing photos of the devastation on Front Street in Lahaina, Mia wrote on her Instagram story: “I don’t know where to start. In the middle of our vacation in Maui we got the news that a horrific fire had broken out an hour north of us. I don’t have to tell you what happened next. All I can say is it was much worse than what you’ve seen on the news and online.”
She continued: “Many people and animals lost their lives. Houses were destroyed. Sacred buildings burned to ashes. Thousands of locals and tourists were left homeless. And the horrors that these people had to see and experience.”
Mia, whose mother is Cyrinda Foxe, continued: “Trying to protect my family and friends was all I could do. We were in a sacred paradise and there was nothing I could do.”
The model warned people not to travel to Maui to help and instead called for donations to the relief effort.
She wrote: “PLEASE DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI as the hotels help provide homes for the people of Maui. The island needs to recover and does not need tourists consuming valuable resources at this time.”
“The only thing we can do is donate to these wonderful people who need us most right now. Please help. Every penny helps.”
She concluded, “I pray that this country heals and comes back stronger, as it always does.”
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez are “heartbroken” by the wildfires on Maui and have donated $100 million through a Maui Fund to help combat the hellish aftermath of the fires raging on the island.
The death toll from Maui’s wildfires reached 93 on Sunday (13.08.23), making it the most devastating fire outbreak in modern U.S. history.
Britney Spears’ sons Sean Preston (17) and Jayden (16), who moved to Hawaii in early August, are said to have been “traumatized” when they saw their new neighbors being ravaged by the flames, even though their house was not hit.
Mark Vincent Kaplan, the attorney for the boys’ 45-year-old father, Kevin Federline, said they were not “personally affected” but added: “People are dying in the area and their homes are being destroyed. This is very traumatic (for the boys).”
He added: “Of course, everyone is very sad at the moment about the fires and the many casualties that have been inflicted on them, but apart from the trauma, they are very happy to be there.”
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey visited an emergency shelter at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku and spoke with survivors.
However, the CBS News camera crew that came with them was denied entry.
Maui County’s Facebook post reads: “We welcome Oprah to continue to strengthen community spirit and send aloha to the victims of this tragic disaster.”
“Your visit to the shelter today was truly heartwarming.”