Please, Come to Maui, With Aloha!

Our Maui community took an astounding hit with the decimation of our historic and vibrant town of Lahaina. Its people, their pets, homes and livelihoods. The grief is beyond imagining. The loss immeasurable. The days and weeks since August 8 have proven that the route to recovery is forged by the people for the people. Thank you for the outpouring of aloha from every corner of the world. The unity of spirit in this disaster has been truly heartfelt. And the need is great.

As the saying goes, “life finds a way,” and surely it does, but “forever changed” is its new tag line with reference to Lahaina.

Alas, we have all been impacted by this immense catastrophe at some level as islanders. Subsequently, I’m meeting folks every day with a story of tragedy, and hope, that breaks open my heart again and again. It is poignantly evident that as well as loss from the fires there is also trauma now emanating from the after shock. There is clearly a lot to learn as we dig deeper into the causes of the fires and failures that accelerated them.

The ripple-effect across the island.

Sadly, many businesses are on the verge of collapse from the initial messaging in response to the fires saying “don’t come to Maui.” With a respectfully altered message to honor the impact zone, we ask “please, come back to Maui!” Here on the south side, undeniably, we have become the engine that needs to keep running to sustain the island community as a whole. As such, we are in solidarity here in our efforts. And it takes tourism as our only real sustaining and immediate industry. I recently met a server at the Grand Wailea who has been left to support her entire Lahaina family. Having moved in with her she told me, “we are Filipino, we are strong, but I need to keep working! Please tell people to come!”

With the losses there are still beautiful stories emerging.

Not surprisingly, the Lahaina story is still making nightly news here. Therefore, we brace ourselves every day for what has been a rising number of those who perished. The Maui tragedy can be likened to Pompeii, a lost and decimated city. Not to be sugar-coated, it will take many years. We are rebuilding from ashes what’s been lost. We are living through an historic and monumental period of change.

And yet, we see a group of residents who took their sorrow and erected 115 crosses and placed 1000 yellow ribbons at Lahaina Bypass. With an aching respect, a new landmark, a memorial to those lives lost and who remain missing. As such, we see unity from the ashes. Whether it be donating or giving in service by volunteering, the response has been thoughtful and intense. We are each moved to do what we can as, in disbelief, we grapple with the haunting question…what happened?

What’s Not Lost

“Lahaina town may have burned down but Lahaina will always be alive in our hearts,” said an affiliate Realtor bravely in the face of losing her own home. The significant response has come from the community, our first responders and members of the public, as well as our global family who have been moved by this event. That demonstration of aloha has been a lifeline for the many with lives in crisis. The culture, history and generations of people with love of the ‘aina, the land, has not been destroyed. This is a society of profound connection. Its aged roots run deep.