121 thoughts on “Hawaii Asks All Visitors To Leave Maui (Updated)”
RP
Here is my question: Could this tragedy have been prevented? Was the potential for a wildfire commonly known by the local authorities as is the case with Big Island? There was some warning about the high winds caused by the hurricane. Could Maui have been spared this tragedy with a little foresight and planning? Does Maui even have a forest service that is supposed to respond to situations like this?
I would ask the same question. But with the high winds, embers are blown great distances. I saw nighttime drone video footage of Lahaina burning and it even appeared that boats anchored in the harbor were aflame. Embers in the wind would have done that, and they are the most trouble in any firefight.
However, I would also say that maybe more prescribed burns on calmer days could have reduced the problem. Here in Florida in 1998, we experienced massive wildfires that covered many counties within the state. Huge swaths of the state were burning ferociously and seemed to spread everywhere. In the aftermath, the lesson learned was that prescribed and controlled burns were not used frequently enough. The forest service has since conducted prescribed burns on a frequent basis on millions of acres of land annually to clear out the dead underbrush that typically stokes wildfires.
Dear RP: How does one plan for anticipated winds of 20-30 mph and then be forced to endure 85 mph that came down Wahikuli with an unanticipated voracious velocity? The 85 mph winds prevented helicopter buckets from being able to dump water on the raging fires without also putting them in harms way. Uncontrollable wildfires are a fact of life everywhere on the planet. A little more planning? I think the question that would be most helpful at this time, would be what would it take for a little more compassion like many of the responders? Thank you.
Please don’t misunderstand my post. I was not trying to offend or show a lack of compassion in any way.
Of course my heart goes out to the people of Maui. I am very saddened by these events.
To answer your question, I wasn’t referring to planning for the high winds that you mentioned as they are bearing down on you. That wouldn’t make much sense.
I was referring to the very thing that Timothy W. mentioned in his comment in response to mine.
Many states do what they can to prevent wildfires like the one Maui experienced and have robust preventative programs for that purpose.
I was asking if Maui has such a program as well and if they don’t, why not? Especially if they have performed studies and know of the potential of the devastation that Maui has just experienced.
My comment was directed at preventing the loss of life first, property second. And any lives and livelihoods in the aftermath that is yet to be seen. Then there would be no need to mourn as we all are now.
Again, my heart goes out to everyone, including visitors that were caught in this utter tragedy. Aloha.
God bless those affected, the community and first responders. 🙏 it is I’m sure an extremely difficult time for many. We on Oahu are praying for your loss. We grieve with you.
I would never have guessed Hawaii has wildfires until I went for a hike on the northwestern coast of Oahu. I was surprised to find vegetation similar to what we have in California which means it is much drier then the other side of the island. The authorities are dead on about keeping people away. Sometimes we get idiots out here who try to fly drones over active fires. This shuts down all firefighting aviation making the situation far more unnecessarily dangerous. Where we live fire is just part of life, especially in the fall. With all the rain we got this winter we are surely due for a big one here in San Diego. Stay safe everybody I will keep ya’ll in my thoughts.
Heartbreaking for Maui and its people. To everyone going back to look for things please be very careful burn sites are very toxic please check with officials for safe ways to re-enter the area. Hope Love and healing ❤️🩹
I have upcoming travel plans to Kihei in September, would love to change them, but as of today, the condo I booked is not refunding if travel is more than 14 days out. I cannot afford to throw away 2 grand, and try and book something else. Maybe these unethical companies should work with their customers if they want future business. At least the airlines are working with people.
If I may suggest, have you brought this up with your credit card company? If the condo owner doesn’t want to cooperate, you may be able to get get your money back from them, due to the circumstances. It’s worth a shot.
This might not be the time to bring this up and it might sound callous but let’s bring back the Ferry. If we had some now Maui would have a major tool for movement, evacuation and to take the burden off of Maui’s only airport.
This is so sad… just confirmed what I feared… Pioneer Inn gone.
Of course Lahaina will recover but the loss of historical sites is especially painful… Rob and Jeff please do keep us posted of the best ways to help
Seeing the videos/pictures coming out of Maui made me cry for all affected. I can only imagine what they’re going through. I dealt with the after effects from 2 hurricanes that did a lot of damage to my house when I lived on FL’s east coast back in 2004, but at least we had a couple of days’ warning. Taking it one day at a time is all one can do. My heart goes out to all of you in Hawaii.
I agree with Eldo that it is important to curtail tourism to West Maui. Continued tourism to South Maui and Central Maui will help to support the island economy of the County in coming months. I trust that FEMA and the other Fed government agencies will ship in the medical supplies that Eldo believes may be in short supply. Today the situation is dire. Tomorrow there will be more resources arriving. Bless you all on Maui.
It’s been a harrowing 24 hours in Lahaina. We still don’t know if our home in Kahoma Village made it through the night. The police won’t let us into Lahaina to see if there’s anything left? From what I understand, it looks like a nuclear bomb went off and destroyed Lahaina.
We drove the north side of the island to spend tonight in Wailea. Our plan is to take one day at time, and hope for the best.
Thoughts and prayers to all of you that have been affected. It absolutely breaks my heart to see the few pictures that have been available. We were only there once in the fall of 21. I wanted to be someplace different to celebrate our anniversary and my sister’s birthday. It was the first since she died in 20. I couldn’t have made a better choice. Between the daily rainbows and watching turtles from our lanai it truly helped thru a difficult time. But I fell in love with Lahaina. I love the history and the quirky mall. I pray you are one of lucky ones and that somehow your unique town is able to regain its charm🌈
The Kohala Coast of the Big Island covers a very large area.
At the present time, there has been no damage to the Mauna Lani or Waikoloa área. I would encourage anyone planning to visit either of those areas to proceed with their plans.
Maui has always been my favorite place. My heart is broken for its people. I went through a house fire-total loss, but nowhere near the devastation as this. Prayers are being prayed.
Thank you for posting this. I would just appreciate help.. visitors are being told to leave yet resorts aren’t providing transportation to OGG. No cars are available & cars are only allowed out.. so I’m curious how do they expect visitors to leave?! Someone better figure some thing out.. shuttles? Buses? Please. Desperate mom wants kids home.
Thank you as always for reporting this devastating news. I’m curious, does the Governor, Lt. Governor or Mayor of Maui have the power to tell the airlines to temporarily ban travel to the island?
I hope that the HTA isn’t going to rely on people to voluntarily not travel there. I already saw a news report of a guy on an airplane saying that he was originally going to stay with someone in Lahaina, but can’t reach them, for obvious reasons.
He said that he’s still going to travel to Maui and sleep in his rental car. He doesn’t seem be the sharpest tool in the shed.
He, most likely, isn’t the only visitor thinking, “Well, the fire isn’t covering the whole island, so why interrupt my travel plans?” Yah, not so smart.
My heart is broken for you .So much devastion ,when I come to Maui, I feel like I’m home .My husband and me have enjoyed so many happy times in Maui .We had our 25th wedding vow renewal in Keihe. He is no longer with me , but the memories are there .Mahalo , thanks for sharing your beautiful islands with us .I will be praying for you. Wish I could help .Aloha Karen
My heart is aching for the residents if Maui first and second for the loss id so many beautiful places that I am fortunate enough to have memories of but that others will never see, because they are now gone.
Please let us know where we can best direct our resources to help Maui recover from this horrific event. Any money we may have spent on a trip there this year will be donated instead.
I think Islands have been very accommodating and generous to world tourism. They need a break from the traffic. The island is in state of emergency. Please don’t travel there until invited back. Thank you. Donate would be kind
My family and I are currently in South Kihei as I write this. We are scheduled to fly home tomorrow and are hoping we are still able to. It was heartbreaking to see many of the places we had all been just a few days ago destroyed and no longer there as well as all the homes and businesses destroyed. Our heart is with the people of Maui both before, during and will be long after this.
All we can do from afar, whether the next island or next continent for most is wait and see what we can do to help as soon as possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with Maui. That is Aloha
Here is my question: Could this tragedy have been prevented? Was the potential for a wildfire commonly known by the local authorities as is the case with Big Island? There was some warning about the high winds caused by the hurricane. Could Maui have been spared this tragedy with a little foresight and planning? Does Maui even have a forest service that is supposed to respond to situations like this?
I would ask the same question. But with the high winds, embers are blown great distances. I saw nighttime drone video footage of Lahaina burning and it even appeared that boats anchored in the harbor were aflame. Embers in the wind would have done that, and they are the most trouble in any firefight.
However, I would also say that maybe more prescribed burns on calmer days could have reduced the problem. Here in Florida in 1998, we experienced massive wildfires that covered many counties within the state. Huge swaths of the state were burning ferociously and seemed to spread everywhere. In the aftermath, the lesson learned was that prescribed and controlled burns were not used frequently enough. The forest service has since conducted prescribed burns on a frequent basis on millions of acres of land annually to clear out the dead underbrush that typically stokes wildfires.
Dear RP: How does one plan for anticipated winds of 20-30 mph and then be forced to endure 85 mph that came down Wahikuli with an unanticipated voracious velocity? The 85 mph winds prevented helicopter buckets from being able to dump water on the raging fires without also putting them in harms way. Uncontrollable wildfires are a fact of life everywhere on the planet. A little more planning? I think the question that would be most helpful at this time, would be what would it take for a little more compassion like many of the responders? Thank you.
Aloha Pua,
Please don’t misunderstand my post. I was not trying to offend or show a lack of compassion in any way.
Of course my heart goes out to the people of Maui. I am very saddened by these events.
To answer your question, I wasn’t referring to planning for the high winds that you mentioned as they are bearing down on you. That wouldn’t make much sense.
I was referring to the very thing that Timothy W. mentioned in his comment in response to mine.
Many states do what they can to prevent wildfires like the one Maui experienced and have robust preventative programs for that purpose.
I was asking if Maui has such a program as well and if they don’t, why not? Especially if they have performed studies and know of the potential of the devastation that Maui has just experienced.
My comment was directed at preventing the loss of life first, property second. And any lives and livelihoods in the aftermath that is yet to be seen. Then there would be no need to mourn as we all are now.
Again, my heart goes out to everyone, including visitors that were caught in this utter tragedy. Aloha.
God bless those affected, the community and first responders. 🙏 it is I’m sure an extremely difficult time for many. We on Oahu are praying for your loss. We grieve with you.
Hoping and prayer for the best for residents of Maui and Kohala. So sorry for what has happened.
An outrigger paddler from Arizona. Please advise how we can help.
Hi D g.
Here’s one way to donate to respected charities. https://www.pledge.to/help-hawaii-wildfire-victims.
Aloha.
I would never have guessed Hawaii has wildfires until I went for a hike on the northwestern coast of Oahu. I was surprised to find vegetation similar to what we have in California which means it is much drier then the other side of the island. The authorities are dead on about keeping people away. Sometimes we get idiots out here who try to fly drones over active fires. This shuts down all firefighting aviation making the situation far more unnecessarily dangerous. Where we live fire is just part of life, especially in the fall. With all the rain we got this winter we are surely due for a big one here in San Diego. Stay safe everybody I will keep ya’ll in my thoughts.
Heartbreaking for Maui and its people. To everyone going back to look for things please be very careful burn sites are very toxic please check with officials for safe ways to re-enter the area. Hope Love and healing ❤️🩹
I have upcoming travel plans to Kihei in September, would love to change them, but as of today, the condo I booked is not refunding if travel is more than 14 days out. I cannot afford to throw away 2 grand, and try and book something else. Maybe these unethical companies should work with their customers if they want future business. At least the airlines are working with people.
Hi Greg.
We get it. We’ll have an update that will include that issue coming up.
Aloha.
Aloha Greg,
If I may suggest, have you brought this up with your credit card company? If the condo owner doesn’t want to cooperate, you may be able to get get your money back from them, due to the circumstances. It’s worth a shot.
I think there is a time limit with that, but may look at that next.
Aloha
I’m sorry about the lack of consideration from the rental owners. Have you thought about filing a dispute with your credit card company?
This might not be the time to bring this up and it might sound callous but let’s bring back the Ferry. If we had some now Maui would have a major tool for movement, evacuation and to take the burden off of Maui’s only airport.
Ha, what a boondoggle that was. Millions wasted and nobody wanted them. I think those were sold off long ago to somewhere in the Carribean
This is so sad… just confirmed what I feared… Pioneer Inn gone.
Of course Lahaina will recover but the loss of historical sites is especially painful… Rob and Jeff please do keep us posted of the best ways to help
Seeing the videos/pictures coming out of Maui made me cry for all affected. I can only imagine what they’re going through. I dealt with the after effects from 2 hurricanes that did a lot of damage to my house when I lived on FL’s east coast back in 2004, but at least we had a couple of days’ warning. Taking it one day at a time is all one can do. My heart goes out to all of you in Hawaii.
I agree with Eldo that it is important to curtail tourism to West Maui. Continued tourism to South Maui and Central Maui will help to support the island economy of the County in coming months. I trust that FEMA and the other Fed government agencies will ship in the medical supplies that Eldo believes may be in short supply. Today the situation is dire. Tomorrow there will be more resources arriving. Bless you all on Maui.
Hi Christine.
There will be updates as soon as travel to unaffected parts of Maui can resume.
That is not the case now and visitors should change any near term plans!
Aloha.
It’s been a harrowing 24 hours in Lahaina. We still don’t know if our home in Kahoma Village made it through the night. The police won’t let us into Lahaina to see if there’s anything left? From what I understand, it looks like a nuclear bomb went off and destroyed Lahaina.
We drove the north side of the island to spend tonight in Wailea. Our plan is to take one day at time, and hope for the best.
Hi Channing.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Please keep us posted.
Aloha.
Thoughts and prayers to all of you that have been affected. It absolutely breaks my heart to see the few pictures that have been available. We were only there once in the fall of 21. I wanted to be someplace different to celebrate our anniversary and my sister’s birthday. It was the first since she died in 20. I couldn’t have made a better choice. Between the daily rainbows and watching turtles from our lanai it truly helped thru a difficult time. But I fell in love with Lahaina. I love the history and the quirky mall. I pray you are one of lucky ones and that somehow your unique town is able to regain its charm🌈
Thank you for the updates!
My heart goes out to all!
We have a trip scheduled for November, will be monitoring your website for info.
Mahalo!
The Kohala Coast of the Big Island covers a very large area.
At the present time, there has been no damage to the Mauna Lani or Waikoloa área. I would encourage anyone planning to visit either of those areas to proceed with their plans.
Maui has always been my favorite place. My heart is broken for its people. I went through a house fire-total loss, but nowhere near the devastation as this. Prayers are being prayed.
Thank you for posting this. I would just appreciate help.. visitors are being told to leave yet resorts aren’t providing transportation to OGG. No cars are available & cars are only allowed out.. so I’m curious how do they expect visitors to leave?! Someone better figure some thing out.. shuttles? Buses? Please. Desperate mom wants kids home.
Aloha BOH,
Thank you as always for reporting this devastating news. I’m curious, does the Governor, Lt. Governor or Mayor of Maui have the power to tell the airlines to temporarily ban travel to the island?
I hope that the HTA isn’t going to rely on people to voluntarily not travel there. I already saw a news report of a guy on an airplane saying that he was originally going to stay with someone in Lahaina, but can’t reach them, for obvious reasons.
He said that he’s still going to travel to Maui and sleep in his rental car. He doesn’t seem be the sharpest tool in the shed.
He, most likely, isn’t the only visitor thinking, “Well, the fire isn’t covering the whole island, so why interrupt my travel plans?” Yah, not so smart.
My heart is broken for you .So much devastion ,when I come to Maui, I feel like I’m home .My husband and me have enjoyed so many happy times in Maui .We had our 25th wedding vow renewal in Keihe. He is no longer with me , but the memories are there .Mahalo , thanks for sharing your beautiful islands with us .I will be praying for you. Wish I could help .Aloha Karen
My heart is aching for the residents if Maui first and second for the loss id so many beautiful places that I am fortunate enough to have memories of but that others will never see, because they are now gone.
Please let us know where we can best direct our resources to help Maui recover from this horrific event. Any money we may have spent on a trip there this year will be donated instead.
I think Islands have been very accommodating and generous to world tourism. They need a break from the traffic. The island is in state of emergency. Please don’t travel there until invited back. Thank you. Donate would be kind
My family and I are currently in South Kihei as I write this. We are scheduled to fly home tomorrow and are hoping we are still able to. It was heartbreaking to see many of the places we had all been just a few days ago destroyed and no longer there as well as all the homes and businesses destroyed. Our heart is with the people of Maui both before, during and will be long after this.
All we can do from afar, whether the next island or next continent for most is wait and see what we can do to help as soon as possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with Maui. That is Aloha