16/08/2023
MAUI IS OPEN // PLEASE SHARE!! the rest of Maui truly needs you. As stated by Maui Mayor and the Hawaii Governor, West Maui is closed but the rest of Maui is open and welcoming “kind and patient” visitors. (Reference recent press conference on Aug 14th mauinow FB page) The Hawaii governor states they only have support and relief for the people and businesses effected in the fire area. There is no support for the rest of the island that now is impacted by no tourism. That means we must speak up and take care of ourselves and our island Ohana….
The media and news is not sharing this point of view at all. I do not want to start controversy or conversation one way or the other. It is my heart and sadness that I am sharing with you. What has happened in west Maui is truly devastating and this is not taking away from any of that, however we also need to let people know that the impact is far greater that what is being shared on media.
To put things in perspective: our home is an hour away from the fire area and on the opposite side of the island from the effected area. This is similar to if there was a fire, flood, tornado etc that effected a town an hour from your home. It is truly sad and devastating. But your home has not been effected and life still has to go on. That is happening on Maui now. Daily life continues for the rest of the island, people have to go work and continue to pay bills to support our families and surrounding communities. If you know anything about Hawaii it is driven by tourism, it is very expensive to live on island and those that do live on island are one paycheck away from poverty in most cases. This is the island lifestyle that we don’t talk about.
Unfortunately the impacts from the fire and the information in the media is being felt island wide now. Our north shore property has a permitted vacation rental on it and supports our cleaners families and managers family and the surrounding towns and businesses that rely on our visitors to stay open and support their families. We are all connected on our island. I am not referencing or focused on my family, this is not about me. My concern in writing this is the growing reality and sadness for all those families that our home supports on island- our “island Ohana”. Their income comes solely from hosting visitors in our home. The local coffee shop and small family grocery that is usually fully packed by visitors staying in our community and the shops and restaurants in our town and surrounding towns which our neighbors and friends own are half empty. In the past 7 days we have had more than half our reservations cancel in our homes now thru December when we are usually fully booked and everyday, every hour there are more and more cancelations. It’s like the Covid days have returned and we are no longer in control of our future. However this time there is no support in place for families, businesses and communities not effected by the fires. Many families and businesses have already exhausted their raining day savings and taken loans out to reopen after Covid. I am truly worried for our families and the small communities on island that I know this is effecting now and long term. We must get the word out that Maui needs more than support for the fire areas. We need visitors to keep coming to the rest of the island that relies solely on tourism to survive daily or there will be a mass exit off island as businesses shut down and people go bankrupt. Please help get the word out, before it’s too late. We welcome you to stay with us, support the island communities by eating in our family run restaurants, shop in our stores and visit our local businesses, volunteer if you like, but just come with compassion and kindness as we welcome you to our home with love, gratitude and the islands spirit of Aloha. ❤️
