Fires on Maui and in Lahaina

[wilma]

The fires aren’t even all out yet, but the activists have already started.

I awoke this morning to see social media posts from the same type of activist groups that blocked the sand re-nourishment project and slowed the boat removal, pledging to go to court and do whatever it takes to block the rebuilding of any tourist focused infrastructure in Lahaina. Only houses and infrastructure supporting residents will be supported. One person said “Lahaina will never be a tourist town again. Haole go home.”

Why don’t you wait awhile before you start the bashing the locals who have different views than you.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

mid-Oct

mid-Oct? I'll take the over. Maybe WAY over. "businesses that survived"? Where? What? outisde the Lahaina - Kapalua corridor everyplace will be jam-packed with the "displaced", both locals and tourists who rebooked elsewhere. (I'm sure there are sellouts and price-gouging going on on the other isles already)
Insidethe Lahaina - Kapalua corridor ... what survived in Lahaina? Do you think they really want you? Do you think the road will be open to "tourists"?
If you think you can find a place in Kihei and you want to put on gloves every day and drive up to the guard shack / police / Nt'l Guard cruisers on the edge of Lahaina and ask them if they'd let you clear some debris, you might have something. I am exaggerating, but thta is closer to the truth probably.
I'd bet ScoopKona has it exactly right, just above.

Even Mexico is getting a large bunch of new bookings today, people from CA and elsewhere.

 

[TXTortoise]

Why don’t you wait awhile before you start the bashing the locals who have different views than you.

Not sure it’s bashing when it reflects recent postings by person(s) with that point of view. I think we all expect it will be too long a time before the state and local governments figure out and initiate change. That said, there is risk of more corporate consolidation of properties of current property owners decide not to rebuild. Just hope they hold to the 35 ft height limit. For a royal township lots of great opportunities for the economy and to do it with a focus on local history.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

every project -- from hospitals to the monorail to new housing communities -- has blown way past every deadline and gone way over budget.

and on an Emotional Scale of 1 - 10, those are 2s & 3s. This is a 10.

 

[ScoopKona]

and on an Emotional Scale of 1 - 10, those are 2s & 3s. This is a 10.

So I expect it will be even further over budget. Every business owner who had a stake in that town is going to want it to be rebuilt exactly the way it was before. Everyone else is going to want wholesale change -- a Lahaina for residents. It will be interesting to see what happens. In the short term, I think Kauai is about to be absolutely slammed with visitors. The tourism isn't going to stop. And the rest of the islands will be expected to pick up the slack -- whether or not they have the infrastructure to take another 250,000 monthly visitors. This will further widen the rift between locals and tourists.

 

[NTP66]

You can't exactly compare rebuilds post-disaster to normal, every day business and construction, though. Maui county is going to receive federal funds and assistance to rebuild.

 

[NTP66]

Just hope they hold to the 35 ft height limit. For a royal township lots of great opportunities for the economy and to do it with a focus on local history.

Agreed.

 

[easyrider]

I awoke this morning to see social media posts from the same type of activist groups that blocked the sand re-nourishment project and slowed the boat removal, pledging to go to court and do whatever it takes to block the rebuilding of any tourist focused infrastructure in Lahaina. Only houses and infrastructure supporting residents will be supported. One person said “Lahaina will never be a tourist town again.

Who can blame them. Lahaina is their original settled area and Capitol which they were forced out of before Hawaii was a state. Then when Hawaii became a state, all the land was for sale and the original Hawaiians didn't have enough money or education to participate. The Hawaiian Homes Commision Act passed by congress in 1921 acknowledges that Lahaina is Native Hawaiian land which is kind of like the reservations on the mainland.

Even if Lahaina goes full Native the area would still need tourism so I don't see a down side.

Bill

 

[JIMinNC]

Where did you see these comments?

Two “Suggested for You” pages on Facebook. I don’t follow those pages, but since I’ve been searching for a lot of Maui stuff over the last 24 hours, I guess their algorithms served those up for me. Once I read them, and closed FB, they disappeared from my feed, so since I don’t follow them, I can’t go back to them.

 

[klpca]

The fires aren’t even all out yet, but the activists have already started.

I awoke this morning to see social media posts from the same type of activist groups that blocked the sand re-nourishment project and slowed the boat removal, pledging to go to court and do whatever it takes to block the rebuilding of any tourist focused infrastructure in Lahaina. Only houses and infrastructure supporting residents will be supported. One person said “Lahaina will never be a tourist town again. Haole go home.”

This is just devastating. The loss of life is unthinkable. Wind driven fires are terrifying.

I am seeing the same kind of posts. Lots of angry posts (understandable) and the primary targets are the governor and tourists. One thing to keep in mind is that you will be vacationing in someone else's nightmare. Tourists will need to bring their patience and sensitivity. It won't be the same kind of vacation. Things have to get back to some type of order. I think that tourist experience may be at the end of the list.

I am also seeing a call for the resorts to use their space to house displaced local families. I'm not sure how that will play out but it would seem to me that places with multiple bedrooms and kitchen facilities might be attractive.

We also have reservations in March. I'm not sure what we'll do but I may try to push that further down the road. We won't be going unless the county says that they are ready to host visitors. Luckily we have time. I truly feel for those of you with upcoming reservations. Maybe try to see if there is any late availability on a different island?

 

[sponger76]

Lahaina is their original settled area and Capitol which they were forced out of before Hawaii was a state.

Not quite accurate. When the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown, the capital was Honolulu. Lahaina did serve as the capital of the kingdom for a period, but it wasn't even the first location after the islands were united as a single kindgom.

 

[GaryDouglas]

I'm hoping this means the banyan tree is intact.... school roofs look ok for the most part.
View attachment 80036

From the Daily Mail….

“
Locals are fearing that the historic banyan tree in Lahaina, which has stood outside the town's courthouse for 150 years, may have fallen victim to the flames.

Thought to be the oldest living banyan in Maui, the beautiful tree holds a special meaning for Hawaiians.

'Only time will tell if it survives the injuries sustained in the fires, but it feels like a small beacon of hope in this disaster,' said one person on social media.

Video appears to show the famous tree amongst the charred devastation, but still standing strong.

'Only time will tell if it survives the injuries sustained in the fires, but it feels like a small beacon of hope in this disaster,' said one person sharing the footage online.
“

“...hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
The Shawshank Redemption

 

[JIMinNC]

Why don’t you wait awhile before you start the bashing the locals who have different views than you.

I respect their right to express their views, but also thought it was incredibly poor timing to be expressing their anti-tourism feelings at the present time. There is a time and place for everything.

 

[lmnanea]

Confirmed that the Cannery Mall (Safeway, Longs) is gone as is Walgreens. I assume the Foodland across the road burned too but that part isn’t confirmed.

 

[NTP66]

I read up on Banyan trees, and it sounds like they're considerably more resilient than I thought, so there's hope that the one in Lahaina will ultimately recover. It would be great if they could rebuild around it as was done long ago.

 

[TravelTime]

We have reservations arriving mid-Oct. So many people saying to cancel, but I'm wondering if we should go. We are not typical tourists, have been to the islands many times, will be respectful of the challenges, and hope to help the efforts while we're there. Will need to decide in the next few days to cancel or not, and I don't think there will be any official statement by then. The "don't come" message doesn't give a timeframe because they don't know one yet, but they'll still need tourist dollars to help sustain the businesses that did survive.

Cancel. You are are a typical tourist if you are questioning this.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

The fires aren’t even all out yet, but the activists have already started.

I awoke this morning to see social media posts from the same type of activist groups that blocked the sand re-nourishment project and slowed the boat removal, pledging to go to court and do whatever it takes to block the rebuilding of any tourist focused infrastructure in Lahaina. Only houses and infrastructure supporting residents will be supported. One person said “Lahaina will never be a tourist town again. Haole go home.”

I am not surprised that kind of talk has started. We have to wait and see if that grows or if the desire for a return to the prior situation win out. My sense was places like Lahaina had more locally owned businesses, which create more sympathy for rebuilding. But that's hard to know at this time.

In addition i would not be surprised to hear that some of the buildings or uses would not meet current codes anyways. That has definitely happened here in California after earthquakes and fires.

 

[TravelTime]

I am devastated about this tragedy just like I was by the hurricane on SW FL last year and all the other many tragedies all over the world. I suspect the death toll will be huge once they are able to get in. The death toll last year from the hurricane was about 100 people and that was huge.

A couple observations:
1) People seem as concerned about the Banyan tree as the loss of life and property people are experiencing. Maybe save these comments for a few months from now.
2) It also seems insensitive to be questioning whether to travel to Hawaii as a tourist in the near future. I hear the justifications that you are helping the economy or will volunteer but maybe the locals will better appreciate tourism dollars after they clean up and heal from this tragedy. Some locals do not want tourists at all and certainly not now.
3) Another Tugger said, “One thing to keep in mind is that you will be vacationing in someone else's nightmare.” I could not have worded this better.

 

[NTP66]

To your first point, caring about the banyan tree and caring about the people/property isn't mutually exclusive. The banyan tree surviving could very well be a beacon of hope for some. It's not insensitive to worry about either.

 

[lmnanea]

Maui Wildfires Travel Advisory - Report as of Aug 10, 2023 - Tourists/leisure travels to Maui in coming weeks strongly discouraged. For more official updates go to https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/maui-and-hawaiʻi-island-wildfire-update/

Here's a snippet

"Visitors who are on non-essential travel are being asked to leave Maui, and non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged at this time. In the days and weeks ahead, our collective resources and attention must be focused on the recovery of residents and communities that were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses."

"Visitors who have travel plans to West Maui in the coming weeks are encouraged to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time.

Visitors with travel plans to stay in other parts of Maui and the Mauna Kea Resort area of Hawaiʻi Island in the coming weeks are encouraged to contact their hotels for updated information and how their travel plans may be affected. Travel to Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and other parts of Hawaiʻi Island are not affected at this time.

While Kahului Airport on Maui remains open at this time, residents and visitors with travel bookings are encouraged to check with their airline for any flight changes or cancellations, or for assistance with rebooking."

 

[ScoopKona]

I respect their right to express their views, but also thought it was incredibly poor timing to be expressing their anti-tourism feelings at the present time. There is a time and place for everything.

The time and place for that is right now -- if they want change, they're going to have to get loud and get active. It's not like they aren't anti-tourist, all the time. So it's not like they're trying to exploit this disaster. They've been beating this same drum for years. Nothing new here. Because otherwise it's going to be rebuilt exactly the way it was. The worst-possible option is some committee which puts together a hodge-podge of plans, pleasing absolutely nobody.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

primary targets are the governor and tourists. One thing to keep in mind is that you will be vacationing in someone else's nightmare. Tourists will need to bring their patience and sensitivity. It won't be the same kind of vacation. Things have to get back to some type of order. I think that tourist experience may be at the end of the list.

I am also seeing a call for the resorts to use their space to house displaced local families

primary targets: Of Course. Totally predictable.
Resorts to house displaced ... actually a very good idea how to utilize the K'pali buildings that won't be accepting tourists any time soon. Will the staff go along or quit? But a very good idea. But of course, actual housing in Lahaina will take a LONG time, so if that does occur there is yet another emotional reason why tourists (even TS owners) can dream about being let in.

 

[lmnanea]

So sad! My heart goes out to all residents, and their loved ones.

Does anyone know if Maui locals (or officials?) prefer that visitors put off travel to, vs still come and spend in, Maui at this time? Rescheduling a vacation is nothing compared to rebuilding after such (sadly ongoing) devastation, but would likely mean at least a year’s postponement for us.

What’d be better for the community?

Same. Heartbroken. Maui is a home away from home for us.

Officials advise against/strongly discourage travels to Maui in coming weeks. Here's official updates:

Maui and Hawaiʻi Island Wildfire Update

www.hawaiitourismauthority.org

 

[WaikikiFirst]

The time and place for that is right now

Exactly. 3rd straight post by Scoop that I think gets right to the points. I am surprised that people who say they have been to Maui many times have such a (what I would call) "deaf ear" to the dynamics on Maui.

 

[TravelTime]

To your first point, caring about the banyan tree and caring about the people/property isn't mutually exclusive. The banyan tree surviving could very well be a beacon of hope for some. It's not insensitive to worry about either.

I am not saying caring about the banyan tree is bad. I am just saying that I think it comes across as insensitive to post about it at a time like this.