Notes
What's Happened to the Forgotten People of Lahaina? An Examination of Maui One Year After the Fires. By A Midwestern Doctor (08/10/24)
midwesterndoctor.com/p/maui-one-year-la…
A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) correctly predicted that the Lahaina, Maui (Hawaii) fire would lead to many people being permanently displaced because few resources would be deployed to address their needs and much money could be made in replacing them.
What Caused the Wildfires?
AMD explores three possibilities, favoring the third:
Intentional act to implement a pre-existing agenda.
The government chose to drop its defenses so a likely event could happen.
Corruption, incompetence, and bad luck.
The Health of Lahaina
AMD relates heart wrenching stories of residents forced to flee their homes and the severe health aftermaths residents are experiencing now as a direct consequence of exposure to smoke, toxins, and burns.
Maui’s Housing Crisis
Hawaii and its local governments are notoriously corrupt, blue and incompetent.
Maui’s extraordinarily high housing costs and limited housing availability make it nearly impossible for ordinary residents — i.e., those who are not super rich or able to buy up “fire sale” real estate — to remain on the island or to purchase replacement homes.
Contributing factors include inept and corrupt government handling of COVID-19 before the fire along with post-fire actions that:
Exacerbated business and job losses;
Discouraged tourism;
Reduced housing supply;
Bestowed massive subsidies to hotels and other short-term housing providers;
Discouraged affordable rebuilding due to red tape and regulations;
And more.
Conclusion
As bad as the situation is in Maui, it would be even worse without the area's "Aloha culture" of mobilizing to help one's neighbors. Still, the area is barely hanging on.
