I don’t have the words to tell you what I am feeling.
We are devastated by the multiple fires on our island. The loss is incomprehensible. The fires upcountry, on the side of Haleakalā, are not yet under control. The fires on the West Side are reported at 80% contained this morning, but the images we’ve seen are heartbreaking. Lāhainā town is gone.
Lāhainā was so much more than shops and restaurants. It is a place in the heart of Hawaiian history, the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai’i in the early 1800’s. The buildings, the land, even the trees were steeped in history. Generations have lived there, worked there, raised families there – and it is gone.
The losses upcountry are also extensive, but most reports indicate that they are property losses, not loss of life. Currently, there are 53 deaths reported in the Lāhainā area and over 1,700 structures destroyed.
We are safe. Our neighborhood has not been in danger. There is a sense of the surreal as we look outside and see sunshine and blue skies. The smoke on the horizon, especially visible at sunset, is the only visual clue to what is happening on our island home.
Thank you to the many people who have reached out. If you are able to make a financial gift, please consider the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong fund. It grieves me to have to say that the scammers are out there, so exercise due diligence. It will take years, perhaps decades, for our community to recover.
Please pray for our firefighters as well as all who have suffered unfathomable loss.
The Maui Stamper 