Three months ago there were the worst fires in Hawaii’s history on the island of Maui. 99 people died and reconstruction is only getting off to a slow start. Many people there are critical of the fact that tourists are now allowed on the island again.
It smells like a campfire, the smell is unpleasant in the nose. The only reminders of the city are the foundations of buildings or chimneys that withstood the fire. Puddles of silver metal snake from the cars onto the paths.
This is “aluminum from car tires, you can imagine how hot it was here,” explain representatives of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with whom I can drive to a part of the destroyed city because it is normally cordoned off. The fire reached more than 600 degrees.
Operations commander Tara Fitzgerald explains that the authority is removing everything that is toxic from the rubble and soil and ensuring that the dangerous dust does not spread across the island: “Gasoline, asbestos, batteries, for example, are being taken off the island. We were also asked to apply a stabilizer to the soil, which will keep the ash compact until the US Army comes and removes it.”
“Many have lost everything”
It is still unclear how much of the toxic substances ended up in the sea and the nature around it. The cause of the fire has not yet been clearly established and investigations are still ongoing. There are many indications that it was downed power lines that ignited sparks in the dry grass. What further contributed to the disaster: too few firefighters to fight the fire and hardly any warnings to the residents, neither from the police nor from the island’s alarm system.
Three months after the fires, it is not yet possible to talk about rebuilding Lahaina. Residents are only allowed to return to the city gradually, accompanied by psychologists, as Darryl Olveira from the district administration explains: “Many of them have lost everything. But by going back, they can put closure to it. We also had success stories, for example jewelry and family items were found again, things that are irreplaceable.”
Many islanders lost everything in the fires. Reconstruction on Maui is likely to take years.
Petition against the return of guests
Around 7,000 people currently still live in hotels or holiday apartments. For many it is still unclear whether or how much money they will receive from insurance companies. And even if they get money, the reconstruction will be expensive because the construction costs alone have skyrocketed.
U’i Kahue is also very worried about this. She and her partner lost their house in Lahaina, as well as their gardening business. Both work as cultural workers and teach the art of Hawaiian weaving. From her neighborhood alone, she knows of eleven people who died in the flames.
Kahue doesn’t think it’s right that tourists have been officially welcomed near Lahaina again since the beginning of November. “Aloha” – the Hawaiian word for love, happiness, kindness, charity – “that’s what we have for each other. To have aloha for visitors and tourists is asking too much.”
More than 70,000 people have signed a petition against the early opening. The protest is also visible on the streets around Lahaina. Residents have put up posters: “Fresh out of Aloha” or “respect the residents.” In front of the city, white crosses hang on a fence with pictures of the deceased. There is currently no official memorial.
Maui depends on tourism
Ilihia Gionson from the tourism authority says he knows how difficult the balancing act is between respect for survivors and economic constraints. But “most of the jobs on Maui are tied to tourism.” And “the longer the primary breadwinner is unemployed, the more likely they are to leave Hawaii.” In September, the number of visitors fell by half after they were asked to stay away because of the fires. Now they want to attract tourists again.
Darryl Olveira from the Maui Emergency Management Agency says there needs to be a rethink: “We want to expand our economy. Because there are other things that might be more compatible with the environment or the culture of Hawaii.”
Maui is a proverbial paradise: turquoise sea, green forests, a wild volcanic landscape. But locals can hardly afford paradise anymore. At the same time, they should work here for visitors who relax in luxury hotels. How affordable housing can be guaranteed is still unclear three months after the fires.