An Incredible Madness

I just returned from a family vacation to Maui.  I was there with my girlfriend, my parents, and my brother and his family.  We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Club which is just north of the historic town of Lahaina.  We very much enjoyed the limited time we had there, relaxing by the beach and the resort’s outdoor pool & bar.  We had a lovely day exploring the shops, restaurants, and the Lahaina waterfront.

And then everything was on fire.

Currently the news is grim and sad, and the news media is covering the devastating wildfires that have befallen Maui.  Thousands of people have lost their homes, their pets and animals, their businesses, their livelihoods.  And many dozens more have tragically lost their lives. 

Before I recount my personal experience with what happened, I want to tell you about Lahaina.  There are plenty of pictures, videos, and news reels showing Lahaina as blocks of ash and burnt-out cars, the before & after, etc.  I don’t want to show that here.  I don’t want this blog post to become some kind of disaster porn. 

So instead, I will show you Lahaina 48 hours before tragedy struck.  I will show you Lahaina as it was.  Full of life, color, and beauty.  Hopefully that way Lahaina can be remembered and honored for its soul, and not for what happened.

My family, my girlfriend and I all found Lahaina to be a lovely, charming seaside town.  I also learned that it used to be the capital of Hawaii and has a lot of history.  Near the town center is the Old Banyan Tree that encompasses a park right next to the historic courthouse.  Many people rested on the benches by the tree or took photos next to it.  We were no different.

We strolled down Front Street visiting the shops where my girlfriend and sister in-law both bought new dresses.  My brother bought a new Hawaiian shirt.  We window shopped and bought lemonade from a stall across the street from the Old Banyan Tree.  That lemonade stand had a quirky and witty sign out front.

We all had lunch at Cool Cat Café and enjoyed their monstrously sized burgers.  I took the following photo from their balcony. 

After lunch we continued down Front Street, admiring the town and the peaceful, laid-back way of life that Lahaina enjoys.  Below are a few photos of Lahaina from that day.

After my parents and nephew returned to the hotel, the rest of us continued to Fleetwood’s to enjoy happy hour from their rooftop and take in the one-of-a-kind views and a cocktail or three.

The following day Lisa and I drove to Hana on the other side of the island and stayed the night there. That night we learned a hurricane was passing south of Hawaii and it kicked up the winds and surf in the area.  The following day, on August 08, 2023, we made the drive back.  My brother texted me that morning saying the power had gone out in the hotel due to the high winds, but that was all.

Later that afternoon we arrived back in Kahului.  Mom messaged me saying the power was still out, and asked if we could pick up some dinner for everyone.  We stopped at the Subway, got sammiches for the family, and jumped back in the car.  We hit the road to Kaanpali at around 3:30pm, but unbeknownst to us as we began our drive, it was at around this time the wildfire had flared up in Lahaina.

We took Highway 30, also known as the Honoapiilani Highway, and as we rounded the southern tip of Maui, I saw the smoke in the distance.  The winds were much stronger here too, and the gusts would rock the car.  At first, we thought the smoke was just a brush fire.  But as we got closer, the plume grew exponentially while also becoming darker. 

All traffic slowed due to the wind and the downed tree branches in the road.  The closer we got to Lahaina, the more traffic slowed.  At this point, I’m just hoping I can reach my family before things get worse.  The traffic notifications from Google Maps showed that the Lahaina Bypass was either blocked, closed, or choked with traffic.  So we stayed on Honoapiilani Highway, which would take us right along the coast and into Lahaina. 

But we never got that far.  Traffic became a crawl right up to the southern end of Lahaina where the police had closed the road.  They were only allowing people out of Lahaina, and we had to turn right onto Hokiokio Place.  The short stretch on this street to Lahaina Bypass was gridlocked.  We sat there, our car being shaken and rocked by the 60 mph wind gusts. We saw a massive, billowing cloud of blue-black smoke not that far to our left. 

Lisa was rightfully worried that a sudden shift of the wind would send the wildfire right at us.  We couldn’t see past the wall of smoke, so at the time, we had no idea that the fire was already engulfing the town.  Both roads into Lahaina were closed and blocked by police, and once they directed traffic onto southbound Lahaina Bypass, we were finally moving again.  As we headed away, dozens and dozens of cars were pulled along the highway to watch and wait. 

We made the decision to return to Kahului because we didn’t know the full extent of the situation.  In West Maui there was no cell signal or internet connection.  In Kahului we could regroup there, get back into communication with the family, and if it was just a wildfire, we could wait it out.  At this point, we didn’t know anything else.  The fire was only an hour or two old by then and we didn’t yet have any news.

It turned out to be much worse than just a brush fire.

By the time we arrived back in Kahului the phone lines and cell service had completely been cut from West Maui.  When I called mom, dad, or my brother, the calls went straight to voicemail.  The roads were closed.  All the hotels around the area were completely full.

We were now completely cut off, separated, and stuck.  Lisa and I then went to Walmart because it was a central location in Kahului, had bathrooms, food and water, and a well-lit parking lot.  Of course, by the time we got there, many others had done the same.  Many people, also cut off from their hotels or homes, had flocked to Walmart.  I bought some bottled water, and we tried to get comfortable in the car. 

I realized the only thing we could do was wait.  We had no communication with my family, the roads were closed, and the news was beginning to trickle in that the fire was burning Lahaina.  I knew my family was in Kaanapali just a short distance to the north, and were holed up in the hotel, but I was still stressed.  We spent the night in the car at the Walmart parking lot, constantly refreshing the news and checking the traffic, and maybe dozed for an hour.  The news site I relied on the most was Maui Now.

In addition to the fire in Lahaina, we learned that additional fires had ignited and spread near Kihei and Kula.  Maui was hit with three, devastating wildfires simultaneously. By early morning on the 9^th, we read that the wildfire had burned much of Lahaina, and sadly, fatalities were reported.  It was just after dawn, but there was still no communication with the family.  By then we’d moved on to Target, and from there I could see the smoke from the wildfires in Upcountry Maui on the slopes of the mountain.

And then, at 7am, something miraculous happened.  My mother called.

A tiny sliver of cell service opened just enough for Mom to get through.  We reconnected, assuring each other of our mutual safety, and she informed me that because of the communication blackout, they didn’t have much information.  They knew about the fires and the road closures, but not the extent of everything.  The power was still out, and they were running out of food.  I filled Mom in on the details I knew and told them that because the fires were getting bad, that everyone should get out if they could. 

Our return flights weren’t scheduled until the next day, and initially, there was talk of just staying put until then.  Mom told me that if they couldn’t get back to Kahului by the next day, Lisa and I should head home without them.  I said, “Hell no, I’m not doing that.”  The cell service was spotty, but mom said she’d pass on the information to everyone else and try to call around noon if she could.  Shortly after we hung up, cell service went down again.

Lisa and I spent the next few hours as best we could while checking the news and traffic often.  The roads were still closed, but some reports stated the Kahekili Highway (a very narrow, windy road on the island’s north) was open only for those evacuating West Maui.  I texted that information to the family in case it got through to them.

Then at about noon, while passing some time at the Barnes and Noble, my brother texted us, “We’re coming.” Dad then tried to call, but the cell connection was very poor, but we gathered that they packed up everything and were taking that north road out.  After the call dropped, we could only continue to wait.

And wait is what we did. We went for a late lunch at Ale House, a local bar & grill.  And then about 2pm, Dad called and told us they were almost through on the north road and could see the Kahului Airport.  They’d nearly made it!  We agreed to meet back at the Walmart parking lot and go from there. 

Earlier that morning, Lisa’s friend Justin had seen the news and Facebook posts, and reached out to offer the use of his condo in Kihei for the night.  We humbly and graciously accepted, and then drove to Kihei to spend our final night in Maui.  A big thank you to Justin!

The following morning, we went to Kahului Airport for our return flight home.  While getting breakfast near our gate, my brother read the news and looked at the available pictures of the Old Banyan Tree.  He told us it appeared that maybe only the outer bark and trunk had been burned, and that a banyan tree had a very strong, resilient core.  If the core was still intact, and he thought it very well could be, then the Old Banyan Tree would likely regrow with enough care and time.

I immediately thought of Lahaina itself, that it is just like the Old Banyan Tree.  The town is important, historic, and loved.  It is full of character, color, life, and good people.  Lahaina too has a very strong, resilient core.  Just like the Old Banyan Tree. 

Everyone’s hearts should go out to the people of Maui during this somber time.  Especially to those who’ve lost loved ones in this tragedy. 

With enough care and time Lahaina will regrow from the ashes due to its strong, resilient core.  Just like the Old Banyan Tree.