Our second group of November volunteers arrived after a long day of travel, excited to be here and ready to help build houses. Fifteen volunteers came from Virginia, Indiana, New York, Nebraska, South Dakota and Canada. On Monday morning, work...
Disaster Date:08/08/2023
Lahaina, HI
Fires
What Happened
In August 2023, wildfires ravaged Maui, causing significant damage. The fires affected both local residents and the island’s natural landscapes. Over 13,000 people have been displaced during the Maui Wildfires with over 2,000 buildings destroyed. The Hawaiian town of Lahaina experienced the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century in August 2023, which killed 102 people, displaced thousands and turned the town into ashes.
What MDS Is Doing
MDS work will focus on new house construction.
Location
Lahaina is a combination of two Hawaiian words, “lā” which means sun, and “hainā” which means cruel. Lahaina town is one of the driest places in Hawaii, because it is in the rain shadow of Mauna Kahālāwai (West Maui Mountains). Many different climate zones define Lahaina's districts. Kaanapali is north of a wind line and has double the annual rainfall and frequent breezes. Kapalua and Napili have almost four times more annual rainfall than the town.
Weekly Reports
This week in Lahaina, volunteers continued steady progress on several fire recovery projects. House 3, a new build, is moving forward, while updates are pending for House 4 as the team works with Brandy to confirm homeowner names and signatures....
November’s theme seems to be “new.” Eight new long-term volunteers arrived for the month of November, and 15 two-week volunteers arrived from Arizona, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, and Canada. We are all very grateful for the...
