August 14, 2023
Maui residents count cost of devastating fire
People on Maui are struggling to access food and water as they clean up after devastating fires which destroyed Lahaina, the capital of the former Kingdom of Hawaii.
So far 93 people are known to have died from the fires, which were driven by winds from Hurricane Dora.
Whakaata Maori journalist Mare Haimona-Riki, a former Hawaiian resident, says high winds are continuing to keep the fires going in the drought-desiccated landscape.
He says an email from a friend near Lahiana spelled out the devastation.
“There’s still no electricity in Lahaina. They’ve barely got running water and it’s all contaminated so even if you boil it, it’s not drinkable. Luckily our house is still standing but mostly everyone else’s house in Lahaina is all gone. So that is from my friend Kūlia. She lives in Maui and it’s devastating to hear what’s happening, especially when you’ve got friends and loved ones there,” he says.