Multiple reports from Hawaii Public Radio highlight a new obstacle facing Lahaina wildfire survivors who have rebuilt their homes: the U.S. Postal Service is classifying rebuilt properties as new developments, requiring cluster mailboxes instead of restoring individual home mail delivery. Maui County and federal officials are pushing back, arguing the policy is both impractical and inappropriate for established neighborhoods.
- Rebuilt Lahaina homes destroyed in the 2023 wildfire are being classified by USPS as ‘new developments,’ making them subject to cluster mailbox requirements rather than individual home delivery.
- Cluster mailboxes — centralized, locked mail compartments serving a neighborhood — could take six months or more to install, according to what a postal employee told one affected resident.
- Maui Mayor Richard Bissen wrote a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General arguing that Lahaina’s rebuilt neighborhoods lack the easements, common areas, and infrastructure needed to accommodate cluster mailboxes.
- Mayor Bissen warned that requiring cluster mailboxes could create new unresolved issues around land ownership, access, maintenance, and accessibility that never existed before the fire.
- U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda criticized the policy, stating ‘This is not a new subdivision’ and calling the situation ‘a slap in the face’ for fire survivors. (Hawaii Public Radio)
- Lahaina resident Donna Butterfield, who waited over a year for rebuild permits and recently moved back into her home on Luakini Street, said her surviving mailbox still receives no mail. (Hawaii Public Radio)
Sources
- Hawaii Public Radio: ‘Insult to injury’: Lahaina fire survivors face mail delivery challenges
- Hawaii Public Radio: ‘Insult to injury’: Lahaina fire survivors face mail delivery challenges
Share this article
