Maui Strong

One month ago, the island of Maui was changed forever by the wildfires that swept through Lāhainā in West Maui, and parts of Kula in Upcountry. While the initial shock of the devastation has diminished, the grieving and sadness continues for not only the residents, but for many people from around the world.

We would like to pause for a moment to remember those that lost their lives and all those so deeply affected by this tragedy. Here is a Hawaiian pule chant by Kumu John Keola Lake:

The entire island community has risen up and joined together to help all those in dire need. That has been the most heartwarming and encouraging experience to come out of this horrendous tragedy. One show of solidarity that speaks volumes to this island being Maui Strong was a “Paddle Out” held on September 8, at Ukumehame Beach Park (“ThousandPeaks”) as hundreds paddle to heal, grieve after the fires. And here are more photos of that powerful, unifying event that brought so many people together as one!

HEROES

Sometimes it seems that ‘Hero’ is an overused word. Yet there were countless incidents of when the true definition of Hero was warranted these last few weeks. But when we spoke with many of these people, they all said the same thing: “I’m not a hero. That’s not how I want to be described as. I was just doing what I felt I needed to do, at that time, to help other human beings that were in serious trouble.”

Two that immediately come to mind are boat captains Ariel Ferrer and Brad Kolbo of Maui Reef Adventures. On the night of August 8, they got a phone call directly from the Coast Guard to come assist in rescuing people in the water of Lāhainā Harbor. They immediately jumped into action and left Ma’alaea Harbor to race to the westside. Upon arrival, they witnessed a horrific scene, as the heat from the fire and the loud inferno explosions felt like a war zone. The thick toxic ash and smoke made both of them sick. But their bright flood lights helped illuminate the dark waters for the DLNR jetskis plucking people out of the water. The next morning, and for the next 4 days, they made countless runs ferrying critical supplies from Ma’alaea to improvised landing sites in West Maui to help the survivors. At their own expense, they used thousands of dollars in fuel to keep up the relentless mission.

As word of the wildfires spread throughout the world, the cancellations of future bookings of their MRA boat tours started. Within 2 weeks, every single reservation they had through the rest of 2023 was now gone.

MAUI IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Which brings us to another point. Since Maui’s economy is so reliant on the visitor industry (estimates are about 75% of our island population has some connection to tourism), the ripple effects and ramifications from the fires has now permeated across the entire island. We know of many businesses cutting hours, laying off staff, or even temporarily (hopefully) closing until things pick back up again

The situation in Lāhainā has stabilized (but please note that Lāhainā still remains Closed), and the rest of Maui is open for business, including all the restaurants, land & sea activities, golf courses, beaches, etc. An overall strong Maui will be in better position to aid those that suffered losses in the wildfires. This will also help prevent residents from having to move off island.

To help reward and incentivize visitors to return to the Valley Island, many airlines, car rentals, and accommodations have begun to offer incredible deals with large savings.

Here is one example:

Car Rental:www.hawaiicarrental.com ~  Rates in the low $100 weekly range, plus tax.

Air: Kayak https://www.kayak.com/ - i.e. LA – Maui 10/19 – 11-10 1 PAX - $227.00

Accommodations: All condos rates have dropped. Check VRBO/AIRBnB

There have been several events on Maui scheduled to raise funds for those affected by the wildfires.

Check these out:

Mahalo for all your continued concern and support for everyone here on Maui. We very much appreciate it!

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