The Maui Fires In Photos: Public Voices And The Local Economy
This week, recovery and rebuilding usurped search and rescue as the primary focus following the Aug. 8 fires in Lahaina and Upcountry. Community members came out this past week demanding to be heard.
This week, recovery and rebuilding usurped search and rescue as the primary focus following the Aug. 8 fires in Lahaina and Upcountry. Community members came out this past week demanding to be heard.
A small brushfire north of Lahaina on Saturday had residents on edge. The county issued an evacuation order for parts of Kaanapali, sent out alerts to mobile devices and sounded the emergency sirens, unlike in the case of the Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina and Upcountry. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Interim Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Darryl Oliveira, who started the job Monday, told reporters Tuesday that “sirens will be used in the future.” (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Mimi, a 4-month-old American pocket bully terrier, waited in line last weekend with her family during a Federal Resources Fair in Lahaina. The event was designed to help fire victims obtain federal assistance for important paperwork lost in the Aug. 8 fire. Mimi was with her parents Sammy Biado and Hazzel Castro and her aunty Kathleen Castro. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)From left, Jen Sabas, who was the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda and U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono hosted the Federal Resources Fair. Hawaii’s top elected officials have also been hosting visiting members of Congress, including Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, Arkansas U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman and New Mexico U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California was expected Saturday. President Joe Biden sent an updated request to Congress to increase the supplemental Disaster Relief Fund by $4 billion — from $12 billion to $16 billion — after touring Lahaina himself and hearing from Hawaii’s congressional delegation. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Businesses around Maui are reeling from what owners hope is only a temporary collapse in tourism in response to the Aug. 8 wildfires, including this bar and restaurant in Kihei. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)The Ranch Restaurant in Hana, a small remote town on the other side of the island from Lahaina, has seen far fewer customers. University of Hawaii economists, who released a comprehensive report Thursday, said there is $10 million to $15 million less visitor spending since the fires. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)Providing mental health services and overcoming a lack of public trust in government are among the major challenges identified in the UHERO report for what lies ahead in the recovery effort. The Maui Community Mental Health Center is offering to help those affected by the recent wildfires. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Parents, including Lahaina resident and mother Leilani Keliikipi, aired their frustrations with the Department of Education during a contentious public meeting that drew several hundred people Wednesday morning to Napili. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)Hawaii Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi: “We hear you loud and clear that we need to find an alternative site out here on the west side.” (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)Oprah Winfrey, left, and Dwayne Johnson consulted Maui community leaders including Hokulani Holt-Padilla before announcing Thursday the creation of a new fund to give every adult displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry $1,200 per month during the recovery effort. (Courtesy: People’s Fund of Maui/2023)
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
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