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My Turn by Dmae Lo Roberts

From The Asian Reporter, V33, #10 (October 2, 2023), page 6.

When I go to Hawai‘i, it feels like I’m returning home. Yes, I love the beaches, the tropical fruit, lush vegetation, and Aloha spirit. But when I’m there, I feel like I belong. I get to be in a place where the majority of people are mixed race like me. I love the blending of cultures and the ease of fitting in somewhere.

My husband and I were planning our almost-yearly trip to Hawai‘i right before the pandemic hit. When we travelled there in late July, it had been four years since our last visit. It was lovely seeing friends in Honolulu and heading to the North Shore for some relaxation. We wanted to go to Maui again, where there’s a wonderful snorkelling spot that we love, but we were not able to fit in another flight. We decided we’d visit Maui next year. On August 8, 2023, nearly two weeks after we returned to Portland, the Maui fire raged in both Lahaina and Kula.

By now, most people have seen the scorched-earth photos of downtown Lahaina, once the capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Investigations are still underway as to the exact cause of the devastating fire that left 97 people dead with some still missing. Most residents of Lahaina and Kula were left without shelter and many also lost their ways to earn a living. Maui mayor Richard Bissen says it may take more than a year before toxic chemicals are removed to make it safer for residents to rebuild. Almost immediately after the fire, land developers were contacting fire victims to try to buy their land at a low cost. That effort was met with condemnation around the country.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) only gives an initial $700 per person for immediate assistance to those who have lost their homes and businesses. That figure can go to about $3,500 per month for rental assistance for qualified applicants up to a maximum of 18 months. $1,000 was available through Maui United Way and $1,200 per month for adults can be accessed through the People’s Fund of Maui, a private fund launched by Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson.

I made donations to the Maui Strong Fund through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and a GoFundMe page for an individual family that lived in Kula, the lesser publicized fire that burned about 1,200 acres and left an estimated 115 people dead.

The long-term effects of the fire and its cause will be studied for some time. The Lahaina evacuation was so poorly handled, it’s still being questioned. According to the Honolulu Civil Beat news website, eyewitnesses say police were purposefully blocking routes out of Lahaina claiming they were protecting the public from fallen powerlines that they thought were electrified. Hawaiian Electric, however, says all the powerlines were "de-energized."

With most of the roads blocked, there was only one lane of traffic open, which caused major gridlock. For a lot of people, it took two-and-a-half hours to make it to Napili, a small town my husband and I visited many years ago. That trip would usually take a mere 20 minutes from Lahaina.

Many of the resorts opened up to victims of the fires. For people who want to visit Maui, residents have been telling them to avoid West Maui and to please stay away from Lahaina especially. Some tourists have been seen posing for photos in front of burned-out buildings, unaware or oblivious to the fact that those locations were once people’s homes and they might be right there watching them callously snap shots to post online.

I recall the last time we were in Lahaina. In 2012, we toured the historic district of plantation-era buildings and a temple, all which were beautifully maintained and turned into historical societies and small museums. We walked under the more than 60-foot-tall, 150-year-old Banyan tree spread out over two-thirds of an acre from the town toward the ocean. Walking under the tree’s huge branches was like being enveloped by time and history. I wondered how many others had also found shelter under that tree over the last century or longer.

A recent positive development is that arborists have found the Banyan tree is still alive and new leaves are sprouting. The Banyan tree has become a symbol of recovery for Lahaina’s future and gives power and hope to the phrase "Maui Strong."

For those who are able, below are some ways to help.