Over a year after the devasting Lahaina wildfires killed over 100 people, many Native Hawaiians are facing a choice between dwindling financial resources to rebuild their lives or leaving the only home they’ve ever known.
In August, a $4 billion settlement was reached to resolve all tort claims connected with the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires. In Gov. Josh Green’s official statement, he said the overall scope of the recovery will approach $12 billion when insurance claims and county, state, and federal support are combined with the settlement. Yet over a year later many lifelong residents are still facing a financial crossroads of living in a town scarce on resources while federal assistance lags.
Speaking to NBC News, Native Hawaiian Mikey Burke said her intention was to rebuild her home for her family of six, as her rental assistance had expired two months prior. Yet when she applied for an extension, she was denied and couldn’t qualify for FEMA until her rent was due. A limited supply of rental properties has made those rates skyrocket, as Burke soon found herself paying $3,100 for her mortgage and $7,600 in rent. The combination has forced Burke to consider leaving her hometown.
Burke told the outlet that rising rents are eating into whatever funds they had been saving for rebuilding. “The longer we have to rent, the less money we have to build,” she said. “And if it goes on for long enough, homeowners might not be able to build at all. It’s almost having to choose between housing now and housing later.”
Kukui Keahi, a fire survivor and the community care lead for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s Maui recovery program told the outlet the combination of expiring financial assistance, rising rents and an insurance gap have left many in a state of despair, “A couple of months ago, we all felt like we were finally at that ‘we can breathe’ phase,” adding, “Now, I think we’re at this rocky area again.”
Since the fires, almost half the survivors have had to move out of West Maui and many have left the islands all together. According to data from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, more Native Hawaiians now live in the continental U.S. than in Hawaii.
“What happens is, you just have people holding on as long as they can, and then eventually they break,” said data researcher Matt Jachowski, who compiled the data for the council. “You hear, ‘Oh, if I move to Texas, if I move to Vegas, if I move to Washington, I’m going to get higher wages. I’m going to get better housing.’”
Bert Noury and his wife, whose family has generational ties to Lahaina, took a job transfer in Orlando, Florida hoping the combination of extra income and FEMA payments would help rebuild their life. Yet Noury says that the agency is behind on their payments as he continues to pay HOA fees in Lahaina, holding out hope the neighborhood will eventually be rebuilt.
“We’ve been using every single dollar that we’ve saved over the years to give our family a roof and stability, but I want to go back home,” he said. “I want to save up money again and live at home.”
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