Lahaina Rebuilds

A year ago, wildfires swept through the town of Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. More than 100 people died. The fires destroyed 1,400 homes and 200,000 trees.

Today, some Lahaina residents displaced by the fires are still in need of permanent homes. Maui’s mayor is working to pass laws to help people get easier access to new housing. Local groups are working to rebuild.

More than half of Maui’s money typically comes from tourism, but because of the fires, the island had to close to tourists. It officially reopened in November. When it did, it advertised a new type of trip.

Now when people travel to Maui, they’re asked to help. Tourists are given opportunities to volunteer, to support locally owned and eco-friendly businesses, and to leave the island better because of their visit.

JOIN IN At a Lahaina beach, on August 8, people join a paddleboarding event to mark the one-year anniversary of the fires.

Maui Cultural Lands (MCL), a nonprofit based in Lahaina, is one of the groups offering visitors ways to give back to the island. Group director Ekolu Lindsey’s house was destroyed in the fires. He has been pleased to welcome hundreds of volunteers since November. “Everybody loves Maui,” he says.

On volunteer days, MCL invites visitors to pull weeds and plant baby trees and native seedlings in nurseries across the island. By 2025, visitors will be replanting on people’s property. “We are going to work,” Lindsey says. “We are opening people’s eyes to what they can do to make their communities more resilient. And it’s fun.”

Lindsey is a native Hawaiian. He teaches volunteers about Hawaiian culture. “We help people think of Hawaii as home,” Lindsey says. “Not your home, but someone’s home.”

Stop and Think!

WHY do you think TFK has chosen to return to this story? How often do you think a news publication should revisit a story?