Lahaina update

I imagine you have seen the news about Maui, and you may be wondering about us. We are safe in Canada, so not able to get a lot of first-hand information about the situation on the ground, but we are tracking this and I wanted to share this with those who are interested but not enough to sit in front of screens most of the time.

Piecing together what we hear on the news and the little the on-site property manager can share, it looks as if our building is intact and that the units in the middle did not suffer greatly. Everything around has been burned to the ground.

We have accounted for almost everyone thought to be in the building, including an elderly couple that did not evacuate. There is no water and no electricity for the time being, so people are not being allowed into the downtown area. The town is uninhabitable, and may take weeks to be safe to return to the places that have not been destroyed.

We have been told to stay away. There are toxic substances, and resources must be focused on helping the survivors and recovering any more bodies that authorities fear may still be found.

It was a very close call. A car burned down in the parking lot, right by the elevator, but did not appear to do any significant damage.

We count our blessings and have faith in the massive resources of the US government to rebuild, perhaps better. We deeply regret the loss of irreplaceable historic buildings so important to Hawaii's culture.