Three years after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, residents and business owners describe a recovery that is progressing but uneven, with residential rebuilding lagging behind commercial reopenings. Community members express ongoing concerns about funding gaps, government approvals, and whose priorities are shaping Lahaina’s future.
- Lahaina Jodo Mission’s 90-year-old reverend has returned to the temple grounds in a tiny home, but full rebuilding is estimated to take at least five more years and will require more than double the $10 million FEMA allocated.
- Navigating government approvals has become a major bottleneck for at least one rebuild project, with each approval often triggering the need for additional ones.
- A Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner whose home was destroyed notes that commercial recovery on Front Street is outpacing residential rebuilding, raising concerns about community priorities.
- Native Hawaiian residents continue to worry their voices are being sidelined in decisions shaping Lahaina’s rebuilding and future identity.
- Despite ongoing hardships, community members express cautious optimism and are drawing on cultural practices to maintain cohesion during the long recovery.
Source: Honolulumagazine
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