It’s been nearly one week now since the wind-driven wildfire tore through the town of Lahaina on Maui like a bomb had hit it.
With the death toll of nearly 100 for now expected to climb in the days ahead and the grisly search for more victims goes on, the deadly fire in the island paradise is now worse than the one in the town of Paradise here in California in 2018 and is now classified as the worst in modern history. That’s some 100 years.
Some of the buildings that burned to the ground in Lahaina were that old.
And while the recovery of Maui may not take that long, it will take years. It could take weeks or even months just to search through all the rubble and identify all the remains.
Hardly anything in terms of structures remains of the historic town and re-building is not something that will happen right away.
Tens of thousands of visitors have been evacuated from the island and many are still trying to get home back on the mainland. The Hawaii Tourism Authority is telling tourists not to plan any trips to Maui for now and instead are urging them to visit Hawaii’s other islands.
The Governor of Hawaii says hotels, condos and Airbnb’s are being used to house residents and rescue and recovery workers.
Thankfully, supplies and donations are arriving on Maui, from many places but especially from the many people here in San Diego who share a heritage and a spirit that is Hawaii.
(Photo Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes, buildings, and the harbor area burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.