Maui Wildfire Update – September 22 as of 3 p.m.

Aloha,

Here are the latest Maui wildfire news, updates and resources you need to know.

Lahaina residents prepare and struggle with a range of emotions ahead of reentry.

Rev. Ai Hironaka was desperate to go back and see what remained soon after the fire, but six weeks later, he was hesitant. “Now I feel like I have to have mental preparation to go there. I’m kind of afraid.”
Mika Vierra and his family hope to find some life — and some healing — on their property. “For over 40 years, we had these plumeria trees that went around our house, and every day, my dad would pick plumeria flowers and make lei to sell in mom’s store. If any of those trees survived, we can cut off a branch and replant it when we build a house.”
Maui County is providing residents with personal protective equipment for their scheduled visits to the burn area. Experts stress the importance of safety and the danger of toxic dust and ash.

UHERO offers more insight into the implications of the Maui fires in its 2023 third-quarter forecast report.

UHERO’s latest forecast shows “sharp and persistent” economic losses on the Valley Isle, especially in West Maui, but little spillover to the rest of the state.
Carl Bonham, executive director of UHERO, said, “The recovery of the overall economy and the tourism economy will be very much influenced in 2024 by what happens in the housing and the reconstruction phase and the need to continue to house displaced residents and emergency workers and visiting federal employees and eventually construction workers — all of that will come together to essentially slow the process of recovery in the tourism space.”
A summary is available on YouTube. Some key stats include:
- By the end of this year, UHERO expects Maui visitor arrivals to reach more than 50% of their 2022 level, rising to 80% by the end of 2024.
- Maui unemployment will soar above 11% in the fourth quarter. Unemployment will gradually recede and will not dip below 4% until late-2026.
- As Maui fully enters a rebuilding phase, the report underscores the need for construction workers — roughly 2,000 based on Maui and possibly 500 more commuting from other islands.

Some still grapple with the role of tourism in Maui’s recovery.

Gov. Green has promised the return of tourism won’t displace West Maui residents.
Hawai‘i Sen. Kurt Fevella is asking Gov. Josh Green to reconsider reopening West Maui to tourists on Oct. 8.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser published an editorial about the complexity of a Maui recovery that addresses everyone’s needs.

Civil Beat hosted a panel discussion about the threat of Hawai‘i wildfires and what we should do as a community to prevent them.

According to Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), fires are increasing across the Pacific region. She says collaboration, place-based, proactive planning, and preventative programs are desperately needed. The organization works with fire agencies, scientists, land stewards, farmers and more to help mitigate the risk.
“The Lahaina fire was preventable,” said Clay Trauernicht, ecosystems and fire specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He noted that identifying the highest risk areas is possible, and a long list of preventative actions could have been taken.
Ignitions happen on all sides of our islands all the time. Over 90% of fires that occur in Hawai‘i are caused by people.
HWMO also says DLNR and fire departments need to be adequately funded and resourced to have the capacity to support wildfire prevention and preparedness. Funding, in addition to policy, is critical.
You can view the discussion on Facebook.

Here are a couple of ways you can continue to support Maui:

Mahalo nui loa,

Your BG Team

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