After the deadly 2023 wildfires, recent storms and ICE raids, Lahaina residents are determined to rebuild the town for their community, not for tourists. In March, Hawaii experienced its worst flooding in 20 years, turning streets into rivers and carving new paths through the barren landscape left by the fires. Sinkholes appeared, engulfing cars, and hundreds of affected households remain in temporary housing nearly three years after the wildfires destroyed over 2,000 structures and killed more than 100 people.
Poverty, unemployment and housing instability, already rife before the fires, have worsened. “So many people were hanging on by a thread as it is,” said Paele Kiakona, an organiser with grassroots group Lahaina Strong. Despite the challenges, residents are determined to protect Lahaina from further climate crises and rebuild for locals. Initiatives include planting native plants to restore land made susceptible to fire by decades of water diversion, and advising on redevelopment of Front Street to honour Native Hawaiian heritage.
A major victory came in December when the city council passed a law to phase out 7,000 vacation rentals on the island – 15% of the housing stock – to house fire survivors and locals. “We passed legislation as community members, which is unheard of,” said Kiakona. The fires and storms have reminded many that community must often take care of itself. In the aftermath of the blaze, community efforts intervened where federal assistance was too slow. During the recent storms, residents coordinated to remove fallen trees, pull cars from a riverbed and dig trenches to divert flooding.
Since the fires, about 3,400 residents have left the island due to gaps in insurance pay-outs, uneven access to federal aid and soaring rents. But by advocating for a future Lahaina that prioritises locals, organisers hope to keep residents and create opportunities for those who left to return. After the fires, Lahaina Strong led an encampment on Kāʻanapali beach to demand long-term housing, highlighting how local government prioritised tourists over survivors. The pressure led to a proposal to phase out short-term rentals, which will be fully phased out by 2031.
“I think there’s an understanding that the status quo led us to where we are,” said Kiakona, who is now running for the district 14 seat in the Hawaii statehouse. “If we stay where we are now, the less Hawaii will be Hawaii.” Another initiative, the Lahaina Community Land Trust, buys homes and resells them to keep local land in local hands.
