The warning bells are going off in Hawai’i, and around the world. With the achingly beautiful town of Lahaina lying in smouldering ruins, locals and lovers of Maui and Hawai’i (such as me) are sounding the alarm about deep-pocket developers swooping in and grabbing gobs of property, and what that might mean in terms of over-development. Surely the city and Maui county have rules in place that have kept hotel chains from building 10-storey towers on Lahaina’s Front Street. But can government officials insist that new structures reflect the character of the old Lahaina? Can they demand that weathered wood Read more
Maui fires
Vacation travel to West Maui is strongly discouraged for the near future. Visitors in West Maui have largely heeded the call to leave the island. About 46,000 people have flown out of Kahului Airport since Wednesday. In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses. Visitors with plans to stay in West Maui in the coming weeks and months are urged to consider rescheduling their travel plans Read more
One month ago today, residents of Lahaina, Maui woke up to what they thought would be a normal day. They might have heard about the fires an hour away in Pukalani, or they might have smelled a bit of smoke from a fire that was just starting in the hills above their city. But they couldn’t have possibly imagined the horror and destruction that was about to happen; a senseless fire that destroyed one of the most beloved cities in the world and cost so many lives. I can’t believe it’s been a month since so many people lost their Read more
