Week 1 Thoughts
This morning I took my first moment to stop, rest, and reflect. I’ve been getting lots of messages from loved ones chekcing in to see if we are safe. Thank you. We feel your love and know that you love Maui too. It must be hard for you to experience this tragedy from afar. This is what I wrote this morning and don’t have time to edit so it is what it is. But we are safe and well. We are the lucky ones.
We of course had no idea that Tuesday would turn out to be apocalyptic. I had been keeping an eye on Hurricane Dora and was relieved that it was passing well south of the islands. This is a common occurrence and I while I expected elevated winds I was not overly concerned. But as the day progressed the sustained winds were much stronger than I expected and the gusts were alarming. I would be willing to bet that some of them exceeded 60 knots. I told Josephine that they might be the strongest winds I remember. But everything was ok so we went about our business of being a farm and making and selling banana bread and lemonade.
When the wind blew down the power lines feeding electricity our isolated side of the island, every restaurant and store closed, including the ones in the hotels. Our farmstand got so slammed with people looking for food. My phone was ringing non stop with people asking if we were open. My employees rose to the occasion by doing extra hours without me even asking. My 9 year old daughter was handing the sales and money. She is so great how she says, ”Ok, what can I get you? That will be $14.58, cash or card?” with just the right amount of smug condescending attitude that only I would notice. Makes me smile every time i think of it.
Tourists usually come to our farm stand because they want a sweet treat and are curious about our farm. But this time they were coming because they were hungry and there was no other place in West Maui for them to eat. I remember thinking of how how strangely dangerous it was that people couldn’t find food just because the power was out. I held my head high feeling the extra boost of encouragement for having put so much work into our solar power here. Tourists were waiting in line for muffins that were still in the oven. All of us were baking and juicing lemons as fast as we could. We ran out of everything and closed early. I felt so grateful that my team rose to the occasion with joy and unity and I felt so supported. I was grateful for the boost of abundance for the business. But then events began to unfold that made me feel silly about selling banana bread.
The evening fire in Lahaina was fueled by massive winds and tore through the town so fast. The videos speak for themselves. They are terrifying but even more so when every segment of the town that you see has memories and meaning in them. I’ve lived in this community for over 30 years. I used to work on boats in Lahaina harbor and it was my favorite spot in town. Seeing all the boats on fire hit me in a way that I could not have imagined. And seeing my daughters schools burning that had been there since 1819 was a personal tragedy. We were filled with shock and horror but there was a lot to do so we started doing. Its been nonstop til now.
The fire knocked out all cell service and there was already no electricity for the whole west side so no one had wifi. People fled to the evacuation site at the civic center and then that burned down along with the relief supplies. I was so concerned about my dear friend Kamaunu and his family. I knew from video that their house burned down. I went out looking for him at 330am. There were cars parked all up and down both side of the highway for miles. People were hungry, in shock, and broken hearted. I sent him messages but of course there was no way for him to get them. To my great relief he came to our house the next morning and we were able to house and feed his dear family.
Tamara Paltin, our council member and dear friend from SaveHonolua.org, and her and her assistant came to our off grid home well north of the fire zone to coordinate relief work because we have Internet and phone service thanks to solar power, wifi calling and Starlink Internet. It was a weird feeling to realize that we were the only ones with working phones, power and Internet. Our refrigerators are working and we have water and food. We have our beds, can do laundry and watch television. I can’t quite find the right word for how that feels but it is a mix of intense gratitude, guilt, and sadness for others. Tamara was on the phone with either the governor or the mayor and she says to me, “I need you to get people with trucks to go to the helicopter landing area to load up supplies that are being air lifted in and take them to the rescue center”. Ummm, no problem. On it.
While in town yesterday I saw that our beloved Napili market was letting people in 2 at a time to shop in the unlit non airconditioned store and people waited all day in a line around the block to get their chance. Restaurants were cooking up food at their front door and giving it away. Its one thing to see a human tragedy like this on tv, and it is something else to see it in your own neighborhood. There is such a strong vibe of fear, heartbreak, hunger, but also aloha. So proud of my community for that.
I get lots of calls from strangers who are back in North America who desperately want to know details and if the last spot on their loved one’s map tracking app was in the safe zone. They call every number they can find in that region and no one has phone service but me. Thats been heavy to hear their great fear.
It is going to take a long time to restore power. Countless poles burned down. I went out at 4am this morning and noticed that almost all those cars on the side of the road are gone. The evacuation center at Maui Prep was maybe 1/10th of what it was the day before. Tourists are flying home and West Maui refugees are finding friends and family to stay with. I wonder how long our community can hold out without power. I’m wondering when the highway will open up for us to go to the other side of the island for shopping and fuel. When will my kids go to school?
There are a million reasons to be devastated over what has happened. I dare not start listing them now. But one big encouragement is that it would seem that despite early reports to the contrary, the church at our oldest daughter’s school did not burn down and that her classroom seems ok. That is truly a miracle considering where it is located. There are also some homes that were spared and people are moving back in.
My wife Josephine is a hospice nurse and has been leading our family with wisdom, positivity, hope and groundedness. Many of her clients have lost their homes and it is quite a concern for how to deal with dying people during a crisis like this. Her amazing company has been given access to parts of town that are blocked off and have been going door to door. Some of the families of the houses that did not burn down refuse to leave and have elderly. My wife is the only nurse on this side with phone service so she has had to do a lot off coordinating.
The kids are doing great. My 9 year old has been through so much. She is pretty tough. She certainly still has her sense of humor. But she has seen all the images of Lahaina burning and the rubble of her old school. Its a lot to deal with. But she is facing it head on and we are talking talking. My youngest daughter is special needs and she is always her happy loving self. But it breaks my heart the most knowing that her amazing special needs program at school is gone because she was really thriving in it.
Our Hawaiian community in West Maui is strong and has great leadership. Lahaina was the original capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the cultural roots run deep. The loss is immeasurable. Historic homes that have been in the family for generations are gone forever. Collections of Hawaiian antiquities, books, artifacts lost. But still the aloha perceivers and leads.
There is such a strength in the graciousness of aloha and the culture. And it is different when it is just for us. We need time to heal and gather ourselves. Tourists need to stay away for a while. Yesterday a snorkel trip came and anchored off shore. Their joy in the midst of our grieving was a great insult. Please give us time.
People have been asking me how to help and where to donate. Its incredible to experience the outpouring of love and concern that the world has for our community. We can’t thank you enough. There are numerous organizations like Maui Strong Fund that you can contribute to and that would be great. And right now, it is also important to directly support individual Hawaiian families who have lost everything and are cornerstone in the community. We must not let Lahaina be gentrified and loose its Hawaiianess in the rebuild. Their strength and influence in the community will help keep it Hawaiian. For example, my friend Kamaunu Kahaialii. Check him out at facebook.com/kamaunu. He is a cultural practitioner, historian, musician, teacher, and key person in the community who supports and encourages others. His Venmo is @Wilmont-Kahaialii
For a list of others to help directly, go to: lahainahawaiian.com
Mahalo for your love. John Carty