Originally Posted by diver858

Perhaps it is a bit too soon to make such statements, but good things will hopefully come from this tragedy. Lahaina has been steadily going downhill, with block after block of vacant and underutilized commercial space. If (big ask) Maui County and State of Hawaii can work together in an effective and expeditious manner, Lahaina II will regain the former charm and character, lost many decades ago.

Originally Posted by sfozrhfco

This is not the case at all. Hawaii's governor is telling everybody not to come at all as there is not enough long term housing for the residents of Maui and that hotels and any available rental unit will need to be used for residents and not random tourists for the foreseeable future. It is not like 1,000s of permanent housing units are going to appear in Maui overnight. Even if some hotels are able to open up, many of the staff will likely have to live in the hotels leaving a lot less rooms that would be available for any visitors. Water is going to run out without electricity in the area to pump it. Cell towers were burned to the ground. They have a long road to recovery ahead. Tourism will have to wait. People should be able to get a refund if they are not able to shift their travel to another destination.

--
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/maui-wildfires-08-09-23/index.html

While shelter space for an emergency response to the raging wildfires in Maui is available for a just a few days, "there's not enough shelter for long-term living," according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.

He told CNN's Sara Sidner Wednesday that individuals should visit the island another time, noting that residents are struggling to recover from the unprecedented fires.
"What we're trying to do right now is to make sure that anyone who doesn't need to be in Maui for anything but essential travel does not go to Maui. We'll welcome visitors back to paradise after the fire's done and after we can rebuild," he said, citing the need to utilize as many hotel rooms, Airbnbs, and other shelters "to house our people."Several thousand people will need housing, he estimated.
"I'm making a call right now to all the people of Hawaii: If you have an ADU on your property, if you have a rental that's not occupied right now, we will be promoting a program quite quickly ... to put people back into shelter," he said without providing additional information on the program.
"We already struggle with homelessness and a severe shortage of housing in our state, so this of course exacerbates that problem," the governor said.

Originally Posted by mfirst

I am not sure that people understand 1) the fires are still burning, 2) the magnitude of the devastation, 3) the impact on residents - and I mean those who live and work here, not just visit. Not to mention ongoing issues with the infra-structure.

now is not the time to visit Maui.....

have a nice week planned at the Ritz?
... how do you plan on getting there?

I think the Hyatt doesnt have power
cell and 911 service is out for many aspects of the island.....

Originally Posted by socalterp

Resorts areas might be physically untouched, but I wonder about those who work there - who were either personally impacted or had close friends/family who were…same goes for restaurants, tour companies, etc. Just back from Oahu/Lanai and it’s awful to think about. And definitely no good answers right now on what to do about imminent travel plans.

Originally Posted by mtofell

There's A LOT of Maui outside of Lahaina. Obviously, this is a terrible time for the people of Maui. Trust me, I'm one them and have co-workers and friends across the island. The devastation and destruction is real and the full extent is still unknown. People have lost family members, businesses, their entire lives. Yes, time needs to be taken to ensure all that is possible is being done but does that mean the entire island is supposed to shut down? Does Palm Springs close up when there's a hurricane in Florida? Cancelling an entire island is NOT the answer. Everyone with travel plans to Maui take a couple days and take a breath. 99% of people with travel plans will have the same cancellation options in a week. Despite what the news is saying, it's not a "Total Apocalypse" on the whole island here. The majority of the island is still open and there are business owners, employees and others still here ready to serve you and counting on you to make their living.

Originally Posted by LowValueCustomer

This is a valuable perspective for me as I'm currently quite torn on the right thing to do. We would arrive in just over a week, so very imminently - does that change the analysis at all? (Of course, it's possible that airline operations may make the decision for us.) Many thanks.

Originally Posted by mtofell

I'd say it depends where you're staying.... Right in Lahaina? I'd probably look elsewhere or check very closely to be sure you're place is available. I haven't specifically heard but in the absence of bad news I think the areas north of Lahaina did okay? Kaanapali, Kapalu, Napili, etc Of course, there are still disaster efforts taking place so the whole west side could be closed.

South Maui down by Kihei/Wailea/Makena (or pretty much anywhere else on the island) should be fine. I'd say to keep an eye on things over the next few days but there's a good chance you'll be okay, especially if you're not staying near Lahaina.

Originally Posted by beachmouse

In these kinds of large scale disasters, it can take a solid week or more for a preliminary damage assessment to come out . IMO, it really is too soon to make a decision for planned trips in September or beyond.