Disastrous fires hit the island of Maui on August 8, pushing millions of Hawaiians out of their homes. These destructive fires have demolished much of Lahaina, the former capital of the kingdom of Hawaii and beloved by most Hawaiians. Much of Lahaina’s rich cultural heritage went up in flames. However, after now looking at the damage it appears some of it could be saved.
These fires affect millions of people who live in and outside of Hawaii, with some having family in the area. Others just feel for the community because Hawaii was their home. One such person it affects is Travis Calio (11), who is a student at Heritage who moved here from Hawaii.
“I would know, my dad would know,” Calio said. “We don’t have family in the area, but we understand the culture and the community is currently in a state of disarray at this moment and time.”
Calio moved to Midlothian from Hawaii after his father’s retirement from the police force. Most of his family is still in Hawaii. He said he is relieved that his family was not near the fires. Besides the cultural impact, there is also a big environmental impact.
“A fire that big is obviously not great for the environment or the people there,” environmental science teacher, Jackson Mclaughlin said. “It’s going to take years of recovery.“
Due to the vast size of the fires, the effects on the environment will last for years to come. The fire caused the release of air pollutants and carbon emissions. This big release of carbon will require caution when rebuilding and cleaning up the damage. Although it will take several years it is possible much of the buildings including historical ones could be salvaged.
“I’m sure some of the buildings that were only partially burnt could be salvaged,” Mclaughlin said. “But, I know the fires were pretty big so I feel like anything that is hit by those big fires, there will probably have to be a lot of reconstruction and rebuilding.”
Robotics and engineering teacher, Dr. Bryan Rogers reiterated this by stating that, “Probably around 90% of the infrastructure can be (saved), but many things will still have to be rebuilt.”
While the increasing size of fires and hot summer is a big part of the fires destructive nature, another cause is the poor management of the environment. Much of the environment where the fires started was dry and overgrown, which was a big part of why the fires grew so quickly. The fires also appear to be caused by electrical failures. According to Dr. Rogers, there are precautions that can be put in place to prevent this from happening again.
“First of all, the electrical system needs to be updated. If you have bad wiring, you’re going to have electrical failures,” said Rogers, “Another thing is the area surround electrical areas needs to be maintained, it’s simple things really.”
Although there is not a very good chance that Maui and Lahaina will go back to the way they used to be, there are some little rays of hope. One of those being the 150 year old banyan tree. The tree known as the “heartbeat of Lahaina Town” was badly damaged in the fires but appears to be showing signs of new growth. This has given a little hope to the Hawaiian people and the leaves and life that is sprouting from the tree is a good sign of recovery.
Now that officials have started the cleanup and recovery of Maui, the surviving residents have been offered housing assistance. The banyan tree and the possible recovery of historical buildings and documents have given the people of Hawaii some hope for the future and the long road of reconstruction ahead.