#fire in lahaina

[workersolidarity]

I don't even know what to say about Lahaina, Maui and the lack of a response on ANY LEVEL of government to this crisis.

The failure appears to stretch across Local, State AND Federal Government.

On the day of the fire, children were sent home from school, people sent home, and people who DID try to escape, were directed straight into the disaster.

Now, not just Lahaina and ground zero, but an area stretching far around the burnt areas are blocked by rapidly erected black mesh fencing, anyone caught recording near the fencing or even just pulled over on the side of the road are immediately chased off by anonymous government officials or the National Guard. And, of course, only Mainstream sources are given any real access to officials in controlled environments, asking unserious questions.

The Capitalist Elites are already talking non-stop about digitalizing government in Maui, with similar propaganda and language to that used to push DIIA in Ukraine.

If you can't see what's happening, the preparations in the making for the complete and utter LOOTING and ROBBING of Maui, the displacement of its people, and the coming gentrification, or you find yourself defending this government, this administration, or the Democratic Party, you haven't just lost touch with reality, you've lost touch with empathy and your humanity.

#lahaina #remember lahaina #maui gentrification #gentrification #native displacement #hawaiian native displacement #fire in lahaina #socialism #communism #marxism leninism #socialist politics #socialist news #socialist worker #socialist #communist #marxism #marxist leninist #workersolidarity #worker solidarity

[writingwithcolor]

Support Maui, Hawai'i Residents During the Lahaina Wildfire Crisis

A series of wildfires exacerbated by hurricane winds and climate change has destroyed homes, historical sites, and natural flora in Lahaina, Maui. Thousands have been displaced, and lives have been lost.

WWC's mod Ren has put together a page outlining resources for residents displaced and affected by the wildfires, and for those who wish to support them during this crisis.

Please share this resource and consider donating, especially if you are not local to Hawai'i and have visited or are considering visiting the islands.

Find a list of orgs to donate to HERE

Our hearts are with Maui residents during this tremendous loss.

-Writing With Color

#hawaii #maui fires #lahaina fire #disaster relief #climate crisis #donate #signal boost #climate action #mutual aid #aloha aina

[terrible-eel]

My home had 6 different fires last night impacting thousands of people. If you can donate anything or at least share this, please do.

#maui #hawaii #maui lahaina #maui fire #lahaina fire #fire aid #donation #maui fire donation

[micahsolusod]

Absolutely crushed by the news coming out of Maui right now. Intense brushfires have scorched the island forcing residents to evacuate. There have been several deaths and no power on the West side of the island.

Here are a few local charities that are accepting donations (UPDATED 08/1//2023):

Maui Rapid Response is a citizen-based disaster response team. They are posting lists of needs on their Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/mauirapidresponse/

The Maui Humane Society is asking to help foster any animals in distress. They are also accepting pet food, litter, kennels, and donations. www.mauihumanesociety.org

Global Giving has partners on the ground helping survivors access food, shelter, and other emergency services. https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/hawaii-wildfire-relief-fund/

World Central Kitchen has teams on Maui offering food and water to evacuees and first responders. https://wck.org/

Maui Strong Fund is currently being used to support communities affected by the wildfires on Maui. https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong

New Life Kahaku is a local non-profit is accepting donations for food and supplies. www.newlifekahuku.com

#maui #maui hawaii #maui fires #lahaina fire #charity

[theindependenttrentcrimm]

Last post touching on the Hawaii situation:

Please disregard reporting that puts tourism front and center of this story. Lahaina is so much more than a tourist attraction. It is so so culturally significant and historic and fucking important. The islands are more than a tourist attraction and the residents deserve to be seen as fucking people. Please.

#t rambles #Maui #Hawaii #Hawaii fires #Lahaina

[three--rings]

Most people don't have any understanding of what has been lost in Lahaina Town. Not just lives and property, but an entire town.

Most people hear "a city/town in Hawaii" and they picture probably resorts. And there are plenty of resorts nearby. But those are all fine.

Lahaina was an old whaling town dating back to the original colonization by white settlers. Before white people arrived, it was the capital of the island, where the high chief ruled, including Kamehameha the Great. The buildings are old, wooden, and crowded together. Obviously that was a problem in the face of the insanely fast wildfire.

But these weren't mansions, Mc or otherwise. It was a tourist town, a destination for cute, spendy shopping and dining, full of art galleries. (OMG THE GALLERIES. There was so much ART lost. There was original Dr. Seuss art in one gallery when I was there in January. That's gone now. Etc.)

But the people who lived and worked in Lahaina were mostly working class, working retail and restaurant jobs, living in old apartments and small houses. Lots of elderly, lots of non-white in a wide range of ethnicities, old hippies who have been there since the 60s and 70s. Yeah they were probably a little better off than people who drive in from other places to work in West Maui, at least because their property was high value, if they owned. But they lived without A/C, hung their laundry on lines, biked to work, called in sick to go surfing when the waves were up. There was a Chinese cultural center and a Buddhist temple, two different structures, if that tells you anything. Multiple museums housing historic items and cultural centers.

And the town will be rebuilt, in some form, I imagine. Or re-developed, more likely. People who are now homeless, who can't afford to rebuild or pay for two residences while the recovery happens will be bought out by deep pocketed developers. If they rebuild Lahaina Town I'm afraid it will be Lahaina Town tm by Disney.

Another fake paradise for tourists with lava rock from the Big Island. Another bit of Hawaii swallowed by capitalism and climate change.

I'm not painting everything about Lahaina as it was as perfect. Front Street was an often gaudy display of brand names and hucksters out to shovel in the tourist dollars. And of course the politics of Hawaii are incredibly complex and fraught in so many ways. I'm just a mainlander haole. I will never live on the islands, despite my family there constantly asking me to move. But I've spent more time there than anywhere I haven't lived, almost all of that time in West Maui.

My mom works in a building that is not there anymore. She just described that job to me as "the last job she'll ever have" as she's 79 and very happy with working two days a week selling t-shirts to cruise ship people. My brother has worked in a gallery on front street for the last ten years.

I don't know. A city of almost 15,000 permanent residents is just gone. 50 or so are confirmed dead, in some horrific circumstances from what I hear.

My mom says people are just walking around with thousand-yard-stares, aimless, clutching cell phones trying to get signal (there isn't any, but you can get lucky and get a call through. Some texts are going in but not out.)

So I don't know folks. Keep those people in your thoughts. If you can donate, I think this may be a good place because it's going to lots of local orgs on the ground: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong

I keep thinking of new sad things.

Anyway I'm going to leave you with a picture I took while strolling down Front Street one evening.

#maui fires #lahaina fire

[reasonsforhope]

In the aftermath of the most destructive fires in the island state’s recent memory, donations have poured in to help the thousands of affected residents on Maui.

Now, celebrity duo Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne ���The Rock” Johnson have created a special welfare fund that will provide those directly injured or whose property was damaged by the fires with $1,200 per month out of their own pockets.

Together they created The People’s Fund of Maui, which is armed with $10 million in aid money donated by the two celebrities, will ensure those in need are reached directly.

“I have been meeting with people throughout the community that were impacted by the fires over the last few weeks, asking what they most needed and how I could be of service,” Ms. Winfrey said in a press release.

“The main thing I’ve been hearing is their concern about how to move forward under the immense financial burden. The community has come together in so many wonderful ways, and my intention is to support those impacted as they determine what rebuilding looks like for them.”

A variety of Maui residents and community leaders were consulted by Winfrey and Johnson who both hoped to ensure that neither time nor money was wasted in getting aid directly to those who need it.

“As people around the world watched the catastrophic loss and devastation caused by the Maui wildfires, they also witnessed the great spirit and resilience of our Polynesian culture and the tremendous strength of the people of Maui,” Mr. Johnson added in the same release.

-via Good News Network, September 5, 2023

#hawaii #hawai'i #maui #maui wildfires #maui strong #maui fires #lahaina #oprah winfrey #dwayne johnson #the rock #direct aid #natural disasters #disaster relief #good news #hope

[irawhiti]

i wish i could help more but since i have a bit of a reach from posting about polynesian issues especially after the past month, i'll try this. any kānaka maoli are welcome to reblog this post and start a reblog chain with their paypal/cashapp etc. or the info of anyone they know needs help after the fires and i'll boost it as much as i can. if you can't donate i'd ask people to reblog to spread the word around and get a bigger reach.

kia māia, kia kaha me kia haumaru, tōku hawai'i whānau. waimarie ki a koutou me kia ora tō whānau. te kotahitanga i waenganui i nga tangata moana.

#maui fires #maui wildfires #hawai'i #lahaina #lahaina fire #disaster relief #indigenous #pasifika #polynesia #would donate if i wasn't literally like. homeless and also circulating my own posts. #i'll add some general fundraisers/distaster relief sites to this later (internet is acting out so it might take a bit) #but i'd rather try and help out individual people if i can rn so the money goes directly to them. so that'll be on the backburner a bit

[soycupin]

#maui fires #maui #maui hawaii #lahaina #hawaiʻi #hawaii #Maui hawai’i #Lahaina fires #fire #fires #wildfires #wild fires

[freehawaii]

LAHAINA STRONG

#Defend The Aina #Restore The Wai #Empower The People #The Huli Has Started #Pono Over Profits #Free Hawaii #Hawaiian Kingdom #Maui Strong #Lahaina Strong #Maui Fire Was An American Fire #Maui Fire Was Lit In 1893

[lecoindecachou]

#hawaii #hawaiʻi #lahaina #maui hawaii #maui wildfires #colonialism #kim kardashian #paris hilton #stevie nicks #hawaii fires #eat the rich #tumblr text meme

[terrible-eel]

I may be too stressed to articulate this clearly but I am going to try.

While Hawai'i and Maui are trending I'm going to share this link. Its a FAQ about Hawai'i's statehood and the situation Hawai'i is in at the moment. There are people who want to be part of the U.S in Hawai'i and there are people who don't, but the people of Hawai'i were never, at any point, given an option to choose.

If you want to help Hawai'i and it's people but can't donate, spread this word. Help educate people. Make Hawai'i as the tropical paradise be replaced with the sovereign nation stolen by the u.s.

It is subtropical, meaning it is much more vulnerable to arid climates caused by climate change.

It has been systematically stripped of its native food harvesting practices and any ability to farm and self sustain. It has been systematically stripped of its previous industries. Maui used to export milk and cattle. That's all been taken away.

The islands since the 1800s were exploited as plantations, burning sugar cane and growing pineapples which are not native, diverting the water and depleting the water table.

Lahaina burned because of these practices. Because the native people were no longer allowed to govern their lands.

We as local people know that tourism is bad because this systematic destruction has happened in living memory. Within my grandparent's lifetimes, within my lifetime. I have watched this island crumble at the hands of mainland startups, hoping to take people on whale watching tours that cut the whales with their boats while people aren't allowed to have a ferry between islands. People create ziplines and tours through lands that used to belong to local people for farming and cattle. Now they're bought out for photos and hikes the local people can never afford. Hundreds of jobs have been lost in the past thirty years. Mass migrations to the mainland have been made by local people, myself included because we can no longer afford to stay on the island where we were born. Working three jobs is not enough to cover the rent because the houses are bought up by mainland people who then turn these houses into vacation rentals and charge hundreds a night. Right now these very homes are being paid for by the government so that Lahaina people have somewhere to stay and it's costing the state millions that people in the mainland are reeping.

People ask why tourism is bad. Because there are people alive today on Maui that have watched the foreign industries destroy everything. Because people alive today know what used to be and knew how to take care of the ecosystem so that this kind of calamity didn't happen. Lahaina was not just fertile. They had canals and waterways. Rivers that they would drive boats through to go from one part of town to another. It was more like Venice than this desert you see in pictures.

And do your own research. The information is out there. There are two Hawai'i's. The one you see as a tourist, and the REAL one. The one we need to protect.

Let Hawaiians have their land back. Let them restore the water to the land so we can prevent further catastrophe. Tell people about REAL Hawaii.

#hawaii #Hawaii fires #Maui #maui fires #Lahaina #lahaina fires #injustice #sovereignty

[awesomecooperlove]

🔥😈🔥

#lahaina #fires #deadly fires #organised crimes #Maui #hawaii #death #destruction #starling land #horrors #crimes against humanity #corruption #standup #speak up #truth #please share #wwg1wga #dirty politics #greed

[sepdet]

(I don't usually break copyright for journalists, who deserve to make a living through their writing the same as other authors, but this paywalled article mentions a few native Hawaiian relief efforts that need funding)

Native Hawaiians organize aid for Maui fire victims as government lags

Reis Thebault, Washington Post [12Aug 2023]

LAHAINA, Hawaii — The boats kept coming. One by one, cruisers and catamarans eased toward the beach in Kahana, a small and tightknit neighborhood just north of Maui’s hardest-hit areas.

Each one was laden with supplies: generators, propane tanks, trash bags full of clothing and ready-to-eat meals. And each one was greeted by two dozen people, the first among them wading waist-deep into the ocean to retrieve provisions from the boat and pass them down the chain, which wound its way to shore.

[Hawaii utility faces scrutiny for not cutting power to reduce fire risks]

The entire operation buzzed with urgent efficiency. But this was not the National Guard, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nor state or local government. This was scores of residents, led mostly by native Hawaiians, who had battled immense grief and unreliable communications to coordinate a large-scale disaster relief effort serving everyone in need after Tuesday’s ruinous Maui fire.

And this, a parade of boats that brought desperate locals thousands of pounds of supplies, was one of many.

“There’s no government agency helping us — this is it,” said Jareth Lumlung, a native Hawaiian who helped arrange the de facto donation hub. “This is our home, our community.”

[Live updates on Hawaiian wildfires]

In the days since a ferocious wildfire decimated whole swaths of Maui, including the historic west island town of Lahaina, those who live here have said they’ve received little help from the county and state, small entities which are struggling to respond to an unprecedented calamity.

For people whose cultural traditions have been threatened by American colonization and the state’s embrace of tourism and development, government help was never expected. Instead, the community has relied on itself.

Many, native Hawaiians in particular, see the absence of visible official support as a continuation of long-standing frustrations and pain, which began with the destructive arrival of Europeans and lives on in struggles over water rights.

The displacement of native Hawaiians is a particularly acute concern now, as much of the island has been targeted for gentrification, driving up the costs of living and forcing many native Hawaiians to move to mainland cities like Las Vegas.

[After five hours in ocean, Maui fire survivor is ‘blessed to be alive’]

Government officials have said they were focused on putting out the flames, housing and feeding survivors in evacuation centers outside the burn zone, protecting damaged areas, clearing roads in and around the town and helping to restore essential utilities. Some of the aid is out of reach of survivors, however, because they lack transportation or working phones to alert them about services. In Lahaina, the private efforts have been more visible, survivors said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) estimated that nearly all of Lahaina had been destroyed. But in Kahana, the town’s spirit remained completely alive.

“If you take away all Hawaiians, there’ll be no more Hawaii,” Lumlung said. “It’ll be just a place. This is what it’s all about right here. We’re all raised the same way; this is something that’s just naturally instilled. You don’t have to be asked to do these things.”

Residents gather at Napili Plaza in Lahaina, Hawaii, to connect to Starlink satellites to contact their loved ones on Friday. (Mengshin Lin for The Washington Post)

The supply boats began arriving on Wednesday, as first responders were still battling the blaze and recovering bodies amid burned-out homes and businesses. Two days later, they hadn’t slowed. On Friday, they began arriving early, and volunteers had tents set up to sort the goods: a pile of men’s pants here, a pyramid of diapers there and vast mounds of bottled water.

“We lost everything. We lost our town,” said Jerica Naki, whose home in Lahaina was destroyed. “That’s why we’re here.”

On this day, the volunteer boats largely came from neighboring islands, Oahu and Molokai, northwest of Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago, traveling far on choppy seas. Naki was helping sort donations and she described an emotional whirlwind, from escaping with nothing to seeing a staggering amount of volunteer support for those who have been displaced like her.

[These maps show where wildfires are burning in Hawaii]

“A lot of us are born and raised here,” Naki said, looking around as the chain of volunteers hauled in boxes of tinned sausage. “There’s a l xd ot of pride in Lahaina, so it hurts, a lot. But this is all we have here now, each other, and we’re making do.”

As the response has worn on, the greatest needs have shifted. There is now plenty of nonperishable food and bottled water. Generators, fuel and Starlink satellite internet systems would be most useful, volunteers say.

Sheryl Nakanelua knew instinctively where she needed to go when she fled her Lahaina home as flames spread. She made her way to Kahana and set up a tent across from Lumlung’s house, where she’ll stay until her family is let back into her subdivision, one of the few that was spared.

“This is our family place, it’s home,” she said of the Kahana neighborhood. “This is the best part to be at. It’s what’s keeping us positive.”

Other such spots have popped up. Napili Plaza, once a destination for groceries, ribs and tattoos, is now a donation drop-off center. And some 100 cars lined up for free gas near the town’s former railroad station. Coordinating the boats and other donation sites is a massive task that involves maddening games of phone tag in a place largely without cell service and requires a relentless dedication and extensive Rolodex.

Residents like Zane Schweitzer have both. Schweitzer, whose family has lived around Lahaina for generations, has spent nearly every hour of the last 48 working his walkie-talkie and phone, frantically arranging aid from around Maui, Hawaii and the mainland. Working with the Oahu-based youth nonprofit Na Kama Kai, he helped coordinate one of Friday’s largest deliveries.

Officials said most of Lahaina, the historic town in West Maui, was destroyed when hurricane winds pushed fires to the coast.

On the south side of Lahaina, in Olowalu, Eddy and Sam Garcia are transforming their groundbreaking sustainable farm into a shelter for those who have lost their homes. The married couple, who themselves have lost farmland and fruit crops worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are setting up temporary housing, a massive solar power system and a satellite internet connection that they’ll open to anyone who needs it.

“In the immediate moment, people need shelter, they need food, they need water, they need a place to get on the internet so they can look for their loved ones,” said Eddy Garcia, who grew up in Lahaina. “We’re shifting all of our attention to trying to feed and house our neighbors.”

The Olowalu farm is uniquely well-prepared to handle this sort of disaster. Run by the Garcias’ nonprofit, Regenerative Education Centers, it was already operating off the grid, with its own power, plumbing and food. The nonprofit has launched a fundraiser to help pay for the fire effort, which will continue as long as there’s a need.

The property, even after being raked by the fire’s severe winds, is verdant and shaded by tall mango trees. On Friday, volunteers and staff readied the farm to fill any needs. They butchered and smoked a wild pig, set up new solar panels and scoured the internet for portable toilets. Eddy Garcia whirred with adrenaline, his satellite-connected cellphone ringing every few minutes with someone offering help.

For locals like him, helping his neighbors is not only about their survival, but about preserving the island’s identity and keeping it livable for those whose families have been here for generations.

“It’s not about these giant hotels on the beach and all the big companies, but trying to take care of local people,” he said. “This is not a visitor’s destination spot, this is the kingdom of Hawaii. That hit the heart of it in Lahaina. It hurts to even talk about it.”

His phone rang again and he stood up to leave.

“I’m like a ball of rubber bands right now,” he said, “and the only thing keeping me going is I got to organize these things.”

——

[More photos and links to the latest news in and after article]

#maui fires #lahaina #relief efforts

[milfholder]

Hello, I made another post about how you can help my hometown of Lahaina but I wanted to make a separate post to bring attention to two GoFundMes that haven’t got as much attention as some others I’ve seen. Permission was given by these families to post these here. Thank you for sharing and helping!

#Lahaina #Maui #Maui fires #maui strong

[kaponoss]

Kama’āina are already receiving offers from parasitic land speculators and colonizers. The dead haven’t even been tallied let alone had their remains retrieved and these monsters are seeking to profit from our suffering- to pave over even more homes and history and sacred ‘Āina.

Governor Josh Green said today he will attempt to place a moratorium on land sale in Lāhainā and block this attempted purchase of land by outside parties.

This must happen.

Many times before have natural disasters lead to the mass purchase and gentrification of land by greedy developers but this cannot be one of those times. It must be stopped.

E Malama ‘oe i ka ‘Āina, e malama ka ‘Āina iā ‘oe. Take care of the Land, and the Land will care for you.

It was a lack of care for the land and this earth that lead to these fires in the first place: rerouting of water to feed the sugar plantations, rerouting of water to keep the golf courses green, the burning of fossil fuels to heat the planet and make everything dry and flammable.

Hawaiian land must be left in the hands of kama’āina, to rebuild, to regrow and to protect for future generations.

#lahaina #maui fires #maui strong #colonialism #gentrification