UPDATE: 9/4/2023
Aloha Dive with Harmony Ohana,
It is has been almost a month since an unprecedented fire changed Lahaina Town forever.
We returned home on August 21st. As we drove into town along the bypass, we had a glimpse into the utter destruction of the seaside town we call home. It was/is quite horrific. It looks like, what I imagine to be, a war zone. The hillside mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, once filled with homes, is now scorched with little remaining besides burnt cars and the random structural wall of what used to be a home. Now there are burnt cars and not much else other than a "clear view” to the foothills of the Pu’u Kukui. There are no words to describe the degree of devastation.
There are now lots of resources (i.e., FEMA, Red Cross, SBA reps, the list goes on…) along the Ka’anapali Coast, from the Hyatt to Kapalua. There are “Kostco Kamps” in many of the beach parks that provide food, supplies (e.g., baby, bathroom, cleaning, etc), medical support, mental health support, and massages at no cost.
Locally:
It is ok, even encouraged, to visit Maui. But please stay away from the westside…FOR NOW. The rest of the island is open for business. For those wanting to return to the westside, just give it a little more time. The coconut wireless suggests the hotels will reopen to tourism October 17th. However, there are still people missing, and the area should be culturally respected.
Personally:
We returned to our home in Honowokai on August 21st. A few days after coming home the local tsunami warning alarms went off mid-afternoon. Still without internet access and very poor cell phone service, we had to call family on the mainland to learn the alarms were not for a tsunami, but for another fire a few miles away and evacuation orders had been made. Fortunately we were outside the evacuation zone, and the fire was extinguished relatively quickly.
Three days later our condo began to fill with smoke. There was a small brush fire about 200 yards from our home, across the highway. Luckily, it, too, was extinguished quickly.
Needless to say, it has been a bit stressful since we have returned home. We are still dealing with strong winds. We still have our bags backed ready to leave at a moments notices. Dillon and I both believe we are probably traumatized by the smell of smoke, which is unfortunate as we also love to camp.
The pups are safe and sound. They don’t seem to be too bothered, besides maybe missing Makawao.
Business:
Dillon and I have spent a lot of time pondering and discussing what to do next. Admittedly, our first instinct was to get the heck out of here. Those urges were amplified by the lack of financial support for those who have lost small businesses. While we were under the assumption we had the appropriate insurance, it turns out, like many others, we did not, so determining exactly how to move forward with limited funds has been challenging.
However, the outpouring of support we have received from YOU - our dive community - has encouraged us to refocus our thoughts of the future to find a way to rebuild here on Maui. We are working diligently to piece together a plan that will allow us to dive Avelo (and standard) with you all soon - here on Maui and beyond - and hope to have some really exciting news in the next week or two.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Along with this update, we thought it would be useful to share some information we have learned about the history of the winds and fires around Lahaina.
1. This is not the first fire to have destroyed Lahaina Town. The same thing happened a little more than 100 years ago in 1919. https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/the-great-lahaina-fire-of-1919-has-eerie-parallels-to-the-recent-blaze
2. It turns out that in Hawaiian talk story the winds experienced in Lahaina the day of the fires were a known threat (see article below).
