Parts of West Maui officially opened for business today. But it’s unclear if that will remain the case.
Maui’s County Council unanimously passed a resolution on Friday (Oct. 6) asking Governor Josh Green to delay the opening because area residents are still traumatized by the August 8 fires that killed nearly 100 people and destroyed almost all of the town of Lahaina.
“I hope that it sends a loud message,” Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin said in a story posted at Hawaii News Now. “We need certain things to be able to open to to tourism. We need stability of housing. We’re not machines.”
“Opening up on the exact date that marks two months from the fire is not trauma-informed,” Council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez said in the meeting Friday, according to CNN.
“In honor of the two-month mark, the governor has cracked the whip sending everyone back to work,” Rawlins-Fernandez said.
“This catastrophic event resulted in the displacement of a significant portion of our community, with many residents losing their homes and possessions, leaving them in a state of profound uncertainty and distress,” the council resolution states. “The recovery process following such a traumatic event requires time, compassion, and a supportive environment that allows residents to heal, rebuild, and regain a sense of normalcy.”
The Westin Nanea at Ka’anapali Beach on Maui. JIM BYERS PHOTO
“The reopening of West Maui for tourism on October 8, 2023, as currently announced by Governor Green, poses a significant challenge to the emotional well-being and readiness of our community members, particularly those directly affected by the wildfires.”
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen last week said the West Maui reopening would be done in stages. The first area to open today was the most northerly region of West Maui, stretching from Kapalua in the north to Kahana Villa in the south. At a later, unspecified date, the area from Mahinahina Beach to the villas of north Kaanapali would open. After that would be the area from the Royal Lahaina resort south to the Grand Hyatt on the south end of Kaanapali Beach.
CNN reports that the governor said in a statement on Saturday that many have asked about the right time to welcome visitors to West Maui.
“There is no easy answer to this question, but I can say that if we support Maui’s economy and keep our people employed, they will heal faster and can continue to be able to afford to live on Maui,” Green said. “It will be a gradual reopening that considers the delicate situation of our wildfire survivors.”
Lisa Paulson, executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, called the competing directives from Mayor Bissen and Governor Green “mixed messages” that have confused hotel operators, residents and tourists alike, according to the New York Times.
“Everybody is hurting,” she said last week. “We’re still reeling from the devastation so these contradictory messages are not helping anything.”
Of course, hotels aren’t required to open. The Ritz-Carlton Maui Kapalua is open, as are The Mauian at Napili Beach (a terrific family property) and the Napili Kai Beach Resort, which I’ve written about a few times and dearly love.
“The return of our West Maui visitors will help stabilize our economy, which in turn will provide jobs, services, and support for those who lost so much in this disaster,” a statement reads on the Mauian website. “However, we humbly ask that if you visit West Maui in coming months, please do so with sensitivity and respect for those who have suffered great losses. Your kindness, understanding, and aloha will be appreciated during this time.”
Many of the restaurants and small businesses in the Napili area have been open for the past three weeks, said Nane Aluli, general manager at the Mauian.
“All of us are very respectful of the tremendous losses in the Lahaina area,” he told me in an email. “However, most of us that have employees and businesses to operate realize the longer we’re closed, the greater the loss of income to pay employees and pay for the fixed expenses, utilities and taxes that then become a burden for the county and the state.
Aluli said Maui County officials have forecasted a $31 million shortfall from the county budget, and it could get worse.
A note on one West Maui condo/hotel operators website says they’re asking potential guests to wait a while.
“If you have an upcoming reservation at Sands of Kahana, Kahana Beach, Kahana Villa, Hono Koa, The Gardens at West Maui, we encourage any reservations through October 17th be rescheduled,” according to the Soleil Management site.
As I’ve said before, if you go anywhere on Maui in the near future, please do so with utmost care and consideration for the fire victims and their families. It’s not the time to record fancy Instagram reels or TikTok videos of gyrating dancers. Visit with respect, and don’t pry into people’s private lives.
DO NOT visit Lahaina or take photographs of the damage. And please DO donate to a worthy cause (the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong campaign is very good) or volunteer to help a little while you’re on the island. The Maui Food Bank in Wailuku is one place you could lend a hand.
