Maui Residents Are Fishing for Housing—Literally
Image Courtesy: The Maui News/ MATTHEW THAYER
100 confirmed dead. 3,500 homes destroyed. 5 billion dollars in estimated rebuilding costs.
The people of West Maui wake up to this every day, even three months after the fires; meanwhile, mainlanders turn the other way.
The fires that started during hurricane-force winds in the early morning of August 8th quickly engulfed the west side of Maui, destroying historic downtown Lahaina.
Locals and Lahaina residents were caught entirely by surprise. Despite having the largest warning siren system in the world, not even one was heard through the valleys or along the streets of Hawaii’s historic royal capital. Maui officials have repeatedly backed this decision, claiming those sirens are meant to signal the public to search for higher ground (the sirens are mainly used for tsunamis). Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya worried that if they sounded the alarms, the public would head “mauka” (mountainside) straight into the fires.
This disaster was the deadliest wildfire in the United States in the past century.
The death toll has officially reached 100 persons, and an estimated 6-7 thousand displaced people are still living in hotels and Airbnb’s across Maui, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.
Maui officials have not only opened the island to tourism—they are promoting it. Opening the island has occurred over several phases, its last phase to open West Maui completely going into effect on November 1st. Residents have wavered many mixed feelings about the reopening of the island; tourism is essential to the economy of Maui, but many residents feel they cannot handle a full-scale reopening yet.
A petition with over 10,000 signatures calling the governor to delay reopening was already brought to the State Capitol back in October. However, it was clearly not a factor in the official's decision-making.
Maui County residents are already facing eviction notices and have been expected to move out by the end of this month; most of the housing options they are in now are classified as short-term.
Over the weekend of November 11th, around 200 members and supporters of the group Lahaina Strong began to stage a “fish-in” demonstration on Kaanapali Beach. Around 30 people remained on the beach Monday; having a fishing pole in the water allowed them to remain there.
Image Courtesy: The Maui News/ MATTHEW THAYER
The “fish-in” is a sadly ironic demonstration of frustrated residents who are literally fishing for long-term housing after losing everything they had. Thousands of homes, schools, and businesses have been destroyed, and locals have nowhere to go. Residents are living in hotels and getting “shuffled around”—as one demonstrator put it. People living out of hotels are facing 48-hour eviction notices and are forced to move their entire families.
The people demonstrating are asking that Mayor Richard Bissen and Gov. Josh Green convert the current short-term rental properties on West Maui into long-term rentals, providing protections against eviction and rental increases for the next year.
The advocacy group says they plan to stay there until Bissen and Green meet their demands.
While long-term residents of one of our own states are struggling to make it day-to-day, mass media coverage of the struggle and aftermath of the fires has slowed to almost a complete halt. Coverage of the fish-in is found almost exclusively on Hawaii-based news networks.
While it may not be surprising that the United States is yet again failing the people of Hawaii, it still does not excuse the lack of government support for our 50th state. The funding provided by FEMA intended to pay to house residents in hotels as well as provide rental assistance is a start, but not enough for the devastation that Maui residents have faced. FEMA also offered a one-time payment of $700 per family to victims of the fire--hardly enough to provide immediate assistance with food, clothing, and housing.
One thing is for certain: Maui County residents still need our attention and support. As media coverage slows, it’s important to do your own research about the aftermath and let our government officials know we stand with the residents of Lahaina.
Strike out,
Haley Dockendorff
Boca Raton
Haley Dockendorff is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. Loud and proud, this Virgo loves writing just about anything that will cause a bit of commotion. If you can’t find her, she’s probably somewhere on a beach with a camera in hand. You can reach her at haleydockendorff143@gmail.com
