West Maui Reopens to Vacationers Amid Fears of Displacement

The devastation of the hearth that ripped by means of West Maui on Aug. 8 is tough to understand. It killed a minimum of 97 folks and broken or destroyed 2,200 buildings, and the estimated value to rebuild is $5.5 billion.

Within the first few days after the fires, stars together with Jason Momoa and Mia Tyler implored vacationers to remain away. Within the weeks since, many have, whilst most of Maui’s inns remained open. In keeping with The New York Instances, on Oct. 9 — the day after West Maui started a staged reopening — there have been greater than 4,500 arrivals in Maui, down 27 p.c from the identical day in 2019.

On Nov. 1, with the reopening of the West Maui part that stretches from Kahana to Ka’anapali, solely the devastated city of Lahaina stays closed.

“We’re excited to welcome again guests as they not solely support within the restoration of our native financial system but in addition reinforce the spirit of aloha inside our neighborhood,” says Ka’anapali Seaside Resort Affiliation govt director Shelley Kekuna.

The reopening, nonetheless, has proved controversial, with greater than 10,000 residents signing a petition to delay it amid considerations that some individuals who misplaced their properties within the fireplace can be displaced from short-term housing in lodge rooms in West Maui. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen has denied that’s the case: “The Crimson Cross has assured me that housing for displaced Lahaina residents, together with these staying in inns, just isn’t in jeopardy.”

In Ka’anapali just lately, a gaggle of organizations got here collectively to stage a protest on the seaside, to lift consciousness of the impacts that locals are nonetheless experiencing from the pure catastrophe.

Whereas the journey trade has made an effort to rehire as many individuals as attainable, unemployment is up 217 p.c from this time final yr. “Many have moved to different elements of the island to seek out jobs. Many have moved off the island fully to seek out jobs. Many stay with out jobs,” says Maui resident and former Billboard editor-in-chief Tamara Conniff, who wrote a private essay for THR in August about how she and her household escaped the inferno in Lahaina. “The largest subject is housing uncertainty. . Nobody is aware of when they are going to be kicked out of short-term housing. Many who discovered refuge in trip leases are getting kicked out so vacationers can come again and are going to seek out themselves homeless.”

Plenty of people in Hollywood have raised funds to assist rebuild. Conniff is on the board of the Lahaina nonprofit Mana Mentors, which raised $100,000 within the first month after the hearth to assist households in want. And the Folks’s Fund of Maui — began by Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey (they every donated $5 million) — has signed up greater than 8,100 residents of the cities of Lahaina and Kula in its help program, with enrollees already having acquired two months of funds of $1,200 a month. A 3rd cost to residents might be disbursed in late November, bringing complete help to almost $30 million.

“I really feel that anybody who needs to assist ought to assist,” Conniff says. “The Folks’s Fund of Maui has constantly given to individuals who want it. Additionally, The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin by means of Music Rising Lahaina stepped in so quick and have given a lot instant emergency funding to musicians on the island, with assistance from a neighborhood committee. Really superb.”

The true take a look at will come this winter, the busiest tourism season. Kekuna is optimistic. “We’re seeing new guests on daily basis, from one-off visits to pre-booked teams, which are coming to benefit from the fantastic west aspect of Maui,” she says. “There’s nonetheless a wealth of fantastic experiences to do and see all through the vacation spot, so it stays a sought-after trip spot to make new, cherished Maui recollections.”

And Conniff encourages vacationers to be greater than passive observers as they return to Maui (which generates 80 p.c of its wealth from tourism). “Be respectful. Assist. Soar in. Give to a trigger. Take time to speak to locals. Supply help. Be sort,” she says. “You selected a catastrophe zone to take a trip. Each individual you work together with that lives right here is in trauma. Please perceive that.”

A model of this story first appeared within the Nov. 16 subject of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.