Maui after the Fires of August 2023: Resources & How to Help
What is the current situation on Maui?
(Last updated: December 22, 2023 – view current maps and data )
Table of Contents
Local news media covering the brush fires in Maui
- Maui Now – Maui Wildfires coverage
- The Maui News – Maui’s daily local newspaper
- Civil Beat – Maui Fires coverage – a local nonprofit news organization focused on investigative and watchdog journalism
- Hawaii Public Radio – 2023 Maui Fires coverage
- Hawaii News Now – Maui Wildfires coverage
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser – Maui Fires coverage
Other news media coverage – outside Hawaii
How can YOU help after the Maui fires?
Direct aid for families affected in Lahaina and Kula
In the days after the fire, a few Maui residents created Help Maui Rise as a spreadsheet that collected the direct aid information for Maui families’ GoFundMe pages.
They’ve also provided support in setting up pages and translation services for many of the immigrant families who faced a language barrier in receiving donations.
You can opt to choose families individually or make a “one click donation” which GoFundMe will disperse equally to all the Lahaina families.
Should you visit Maui after the brush fires?
It’s a personal choice, and one that even I struggled with.
Of course, I’d like to see my family and friends and give everyone a huge hug in person. But I am also worried about taking up accommodations and resources that might go to families who have been displaced.
As of November 1, 2023, West Maui areas outside of the burn zone will be reopening to tourism. However, I would strongly recommend you consider other areas of the island – perhaps that you’ve not visited before. South Maui, Upcountry and Central Maui are all great options for you to explore.
Also, please note that there has long been a housing crisis in Maui and the thousands of families displaced by the fires have struggled to find dignified, long term solutions. There are ongoing “Fishing for Housing” protests in Kaanapali and the Governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, is considering a moratorium on short term rentals in early 2024 if there are not enough voluntary conversions from short- to long-term rentals to accommodate fire survivors. You may want to consider booking a hotel rather than a short-term rental in order to do your part to help encourage more of these conversions that are so desperately needed.
I ultimately did decide to book my ticket and although I don’t regret it. If you do as well, the following are some tips to keep in mind to be a responsible and respectful visitor:
Support local businesses
- Spend your money with local businesses wherever possible.
- This is not the time to ask for discounts or to nickle-and-dime your way to the best deals! If you are on a tight budget, consider saving up for your next trip and perhaps making a donation online to support the community instead.
- Tip generously and pack some extra patience. Remember that those serving you may still be grieving or dealing with displacement.
- Consider using this spreadsheet of west side businesses and their websites if you’d like to purchase gift cards to support businesses that have reopened.
Volunteer with or donate to local nonprofits
- Maui Humane Society – volunteers are always needed and donations also accepted and put to good use. If you can’t volunteer, you can also donate to the Maui Humane Society.
- Chef Hui – distributes food to various hubs around the island. You can make a donation or volunteer your time. Fundraisers have also been created to help support those in the hospitality industry who have lost their restaurants or jobs due to the fires.
- Maui Food Bank – you can donate online, in person or even host a virtual food drive. Needs lists are updated frequently.
- Maui Nui Strong – resources for volunteers seeking to donate their time, money or services
- Maui Strong Fund – created by the Hawaii Community Foundation to manage grants to local organizations for aid relief.
Personal experience and memories of growing up on Maui
I read a powerful story by local journalist Lee Cataluna in the early days after the fire. It’s worth reading in full but here’s an excerpt that really caused me to pause and reflect.
On social media, the practical, critical information is mixed in with lamentations from people who claim Lahaina as their own special place because they had a fun vacation drinking fruity cocktails on Front Street one summer or because they went there on their honeymoon and are taking the devastation very very personally. People all over the world want to express what Lahaina meant to them and how they are reeling from the loss.
Those levels of loss are valid, but superficial. As touristy as Lahaina had become, it was still a place where real people lived. There were generations of families that had deep roots in that red soil, who worked hard and made good lives under that sometimes merciless sun, who fell asleep listening to the waves along Lahaina’s shore. Their loss is unfathomable.
Any news story, any action, any opinion that doesn’t center the real people of Lahaina is tangential, maybe even superfluous. The people of Lahaina are what’s important, not the banyan tree, not buildings, not the shops that sold T-shirts and trinkets. The people. The families.
I was born on Maui and grew up in Wailuku. My memories of happy times spent in Lahaina don’t matter to anybody but myself, particularly at a time like this.
Lee Cataluna in Civil Beat
I completely agree with Lee and my heart goes out to those who are still grieving lost loved ones, pets, homes and belongings after the fires on Maui…
I am purposely including my own reflections last for this reason.
When I think of Maui, I think of the view from Upcountry down the windswept isthmus of Central Maui. In my childhood, when the sugar plantation was still in operation, you could tell the conditions of the winds (normal tradewinds or Kona winds coming from the opposite direction) by the direction of the smoke coming from its smokestack. The cane fields spread out below were often in various stages of growth, the green turning to a dry brown in the days leading up to the burns that preceded a harvest.
After the last sugar plantation closed in 2016, the cane fields are gone and the view has changed in so many ways. In many areas of the island, dry non-native grasses have taken over where the sugar cane once grew. As the island experiences more frequent and more severe drought conditions, the dry grass sits just waiting for a spark to light the next big brushfire. The strong wind blowing through the Valley Isle is the one thing that has remained constant.
Sadly on August 8, 2023 with even-stronger-than-usual winds predicted thanks to an approaching storm, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that multiple brush fires popped up around the island. But we weren’t prepared for the level of devastation that would follow.
I’m currently living halfway around the world and like many, I was glued to the news in the hours and days after the fires began, first seeking reassurance that my family was safe. Slowly the realization of the scope of the tragedy in Lahaina took over as images and videos were being shared round the clock all over the world. I got so many messages from friends and even many of my students.
It’s still hard to believe all that’s happened and all that we’ve lost. I can only hold hope that any processes to rebuild Lahaina are community-led and centered on native voices. My wish is that a more thoughtful and sustainable tourism infrastructure can replace the extractive tourism of the past.
Further reflections – Maui voices
Other great articles that I’ve read include:
- This piece for Eater by former dining editor of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, Shannon Wianiecki about the history of the restaurants and small businesses we’ve lost in Lahaina. It’s a bittersweet walk down memory lane – have your tissues ready!
- Kiki Aranita writes for Food & Wine about How to Help Hawaii Islanders Affected by the Maui Wildfires and for Fine Dining Lovers about How to Help Maui Now.
- Malika Dudley reports on the historic ‘ulu (breadfruit) trees in Lahaina, which was formerly known as Malu ‘ulu ‘o Lele (the shaded breadfruit groves of Lele).
- Martha Cheng penned a beautiful piece for The Atlantic about the multi-layered history and memories of Lahaina’s various religious leaders as well as the shared challenges that lie ahead for their communities.
- Catherine Toth has suggestions for visitors who want to be a part of the economic recovery and rebuilding.
Further Resources for specific Maui Regions
- Hawaii Tourism Authority – Maui Recovery page
- Maui Nui Strong
- All my Hawaii resources and insider tips for visitors and kamaaina
The timeline of reopening in Lahaina & West Maui
On Sunday, October 8, 2023, Governor Josh Green has moved ahead with plans for the “tourism restart” and there are still many mixed feelings among local residents. Many feel that the reopening has been rushed and that a mere two months after the deadly fires is simply too soon. The Maui county council voted unanimously to ask the Governor to postpone the opening. However, it’s also true that tourism is vital to the economy and the rest of the island of Maui remains open. Many local businesses have suffered in the aftermath of the fires.
Either way, visitors are starting to make their way back to parts of West Maui and many are getting to know other areas of the island.
The burn area in Lahaina remains hazardous. Out of respect and compassion for the residents of these areas, please avoid passing through or spending time in this area.
While this is still a developing situation and there are many questions that remain unanswered, currently re-entry for West Maui residents is happening in phases and many are still in the process of grieving, mourning the lives lost, and cleaning up after the disastrous brush fires of August 8, 2023. Even those who are working in the hospitality industry may be facing strain on their mental health from constantly answering questions from well-meaning visitors. This is a tight-knit community and everyone knows someone who has been affected.
Social media accounts to follow for news on Lahaina & Maui
- Lahaina Strong
- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement – Kako’o Maui Resource Hub
- Maui Rapid Response
Currently in Upcountry Maui (Kula & Olinda)
Much of the coverage centers on West Maui, but in my hometown of Upcountry Maui, 20 homes and structures were also lost. Hot spots and flare ups remain due to the difficult nature of the terrain. Efforts are underway to restore the upper Kula watershed and to plan for long-term stewardship.
Social media accounts to follow for news on Upcountry Maui
- Upcountry Strong
- Kula Community Watershed – A survivor-led effort to restore vitality to the fire-damaged lands of Kula, Maui.
- Pukalani Superette – family-run grocery store in the heart of Upcountry at the crossroads between Pukalani, Makawao and Kula
