Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos Announce $100 Million Commitment to Rebuild Maui After Wildfires

At least one billionaire couple is paying it forward.

After devastating wildfires in Hawaii left at least 59 people dead and the island of Maui in unrecognizable ruin, Lauren Sánchez announced Friday that she and Jeff Bezos will be donating $100 million to help rebuild the town of Lāhainā and surrounding communities.

"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," she shared in an Instagram post. "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."

Sánchez's statement continued, "Jeff and I 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."

The Emmy-winning journalist and the Amazon founder's forthcoming contributions come a day after Hawaii Gov. Josh Green referred to the wildfires as "likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history."

"It's going to take a great deal of time to recover from this, but we have the support from every level of government all the way up to the federal level, especially given President Biden's approval of my disaster declaration request today," the Governor's Thursday statement continued. "It will be a tremendous effort, but we will come together as a community and begin working toward rebuilding from this tragedy."

While 59 people have been confirmed dead due to the disaster, officials warn that number will continue to climb as there could be as many as 1,000 people still missing.

The series of wildfires began Tuesday with a State of Emergency being announced by Wednesday.