Aloha, Ha?aheo, Imua Lahaina, Maui, and Hawai?i. Full recovery from these tragic fires will take long, but with everyone's support, stay Maui strong!

Disclaimer:?The opinions and ideas expressed herein in this article are expressly my own views, prepared on my own time, and do not officially reflect of those of where I work.

The many official Government, news media, social media, and LinkedIn articles?provide us a sad and sobering continuous look at the tragic fires in Lahaina, Maui,?and Hawai?i [Source 1, 2, 3].?Key points include: Officials say the Lahaina fire is now 85% contained; Maui's historic town of Lahaina is gone after wildfires swept through?Maui, leaving at least 93 people dead, and?thousands homeless; It will take years and an estimated $5.5 billion to rebuild according to Hawaiian officials; and "The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the following damage assessment maps from multiple wildfires in Maui County.?According to PDC, as of August 11, 2023, damage assessments related to the Lahaina Fire resulted in an estimated total of 2,719 structures exposed; 2,207 structures damaged or destroyed; and 2,170 acres burned. 86 percent of buildings exposed to the fire were classified as residential."?

Our collective minds, hearts and souls are aching, shocked, saddened, and devastated by this unprecedented tragedy of fires affecting the beloved communities and people of Lahaina, Maui and?Hawai?i.?The images of the extent of the damage and destruction by these fires is simply unfathomable, heart-breaking and devastating:

• The satellite, ARCGIS and aerial imagery show a grim-but-clinical-and-distant look is shocking enough [Source 4].
• The actual on-ground images look more?devastating [Source 5].
• The most stark comparison of Lahaina's past beauty to today's harsh reality is the sad-but-brilliant, "side-by-side,"?"before/after" juxtaposed?imagery with a time slice line that can be navigated "right to left" through the identical locale imagery as posted by MauiNow.com [Source 6].
• Unfortunately, it is only 85% contained as of today and it is still on-going. Can anyone even imagine the actual, on-scene, personal,?real-life,?human "talk-story" experiences and accounts of those encountering, surviving, and/or witnessing the horrible tragedy??Beyond losing materialistic possessions, many lost memories, personal artifacts, and more importantly lost friends, neighbors and/or relatives.?That's?irreplaceable and the hurt inconceivable.

Thank you to all first responders and all those who are helping from near and afar.?Beyond thoughts and prayers, please keep helping through donations, assistance, needed items for subsistence, and continual commitment [Source 7] to support, heal, and rebuild the great people of Lahaina, Maui and Hawai'i.?DHS/FEMA and other Government agencies are already providing much-needed help. The on-going process and need for?Kōkua will need to extend beyond days, well into months and many years to?help, heal and rebuild the??āina,?kama‘aina?and ohana. Everyone will need patience, perseverance, commitment and lokahi to work together keep helping Lahaina, Maui and?Hawai?i stay?strong now and into the future.?

Hawai?i Governor Dr. Josh Green said on Twitter Sunday: "Many people have asked about the famous Maui banyan tree. The tree has been damaged, but it serves as a sign of hope and recovery for Maui."

Aloha,?Ha?aheo, Imua Lahaina, Maui, and Hawai?i.

?? ? State of Hawai?i County of Maui HCF Hawaii

Sources

1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-maui-fires-leave-at-least-80-dead-some-residents-return-a3b7d2a4
2. Maui fires 'worst in state's history' | LinkedIn;?Jesse Souki’s Post?
3. https://www.mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12683
4. https://ivt.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/fa42b887a3be4a9f8c75e48d35937107
5. https://www.kitv.com/aptopix-hawaii-fires/image_ef56799c-37b3-11ee-88f4-73c3f5348911.html
6. https://mauinow.com/maui-videos/lahaina-wildfires-before-amp-after/_s0yUEuujCc/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s0yUEuujCc; https://mauinow.com/2023/08/10/lahaina-front-street-photo-journey-west-maui-wildfire-aftermath/
7. https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/help-maui-fire-victims-heres-how-you-can-donate/; https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/hawaiicommunityfoundation/