How Do Residents of Maui Recover From The Recent Fires?

 

Photo: BBC

When the town of a community looks like a war-torn, burned-down city, how do residents recover?

That is the question for those who call home to Lahaina on Maui.  The recent fires have devastated the entire community.  For over 75% of residents, that means looking for jobs that are different from those they held in the past:

Earlier that day, a fire had been spotted and put out in her vibrant Lahaina neighborhood. But by late afternoon, Di Bari was hearing of more fires elsewhere on the island. The island’s resources, she knew, were stretched thin.

“When I saw that fire reignite … we knew we were on our own,” she said.

In Lahaina, a historic area and popular tourist destination that was hit particularly hard by the fires, restaurants are big business.

As of May 2022, nearly 17% of people employed in the Kahului metropolitan area, which includes Lahaina, worked in food preparation and service — more than in any other sector. Nationally, about 8.5% of workers are employed in food prep and service, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Restaurants are an important part of the tourism sector, which is responsible for 75% of all private-sector jobs in Maui. Accommodation and food services, including arts and entertainment, account for the largest share of those jobs.

What would you do in that terrible situation?  To make matters worse, new money from outside developers/investors threatens to buy all real estate.  That would threaten the entire history of Lahaina and greater Maui.  The past may be forgotten while the demographics change.  Is Lahaina experiencing gentrification due to climate change effects?  

If the tourism industry is gone (i.e., hotels and restaurants have burned to the ground), where will these prior workers find work?  How does a town survive such a disaster?  Especially with the reality that the residents live on an island?  Where is the next job coming from?

Stay tuned!