Saturday, Aug. 8, marked the third year since wildfires tore through much of Maui’s beloved Lahaina town, claiming 102 lives and destroying more than 2,200 structures.
I wish I could report that the once-thriving cultural and tourism hotspot is well on its way to recovery. But so far only about 220 houses have been restored, and the status of non-residential rebuilds is even more bleak. Work has been completed on only 13 such permits, and fewer than 30 have even been issued.
According to a recent report from Honolulu Civil Beat, some signs of “wildfire fatigue” are starting to show. Community support appears to have waned, people are getting distracted by new issues, and the fire victims are seeing less help.
I’m not sure I believe Hawaiʻi residents are losing interest in Lahaina. As president of the Grassroot Institute, I promise you that our team remains as committed as ever to Maui’s recovery.
Just a few weeks ago, Grassroot policy researcher Jonathan Helton explained in The Washington Post how layer upon layer of land-use, zoning, permitting and historic preservation laws have delayed Lahaina’s reconstruction. He echoed that message in a commentary published this past Thursday in The Maui News.
Such regulations are bad enough in Hawaiʻi during the best of times but become even more intolerable when the Islands are slammed by a disaster.
Since the ashes settled in Lahaina, Grassroot has been dedicated to researching and promoting legislation aimed at reducing the many barriers to restoring the historic whaling town that once served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. We have long championed housing reforms as a way to lower Hawaiʻi’s skyrocketing cost of living and see leveraging that expertise as the best way to help our Maui ʻohana rebuild.
The outpouring of public support for Lahaina over the years has played a crucial role in community healing and addressing the area’s temporary housing needs. But neighborly love can’t secure permits or ease rigid building regulations that were not designed with disaster recovery in mind.
Maui’s wildfire victims deserve to see their community restored, and my heart goes out to them.
However long it takes the people of Lahaina to recover from the tragedy that befell them three years ago is how long Grassroot will be in their corner, fighting to change the laws and regulations that have been keeping them from returning home.
Reprinted with permission from the Aug. 8, 2026 "Presidentʻs Corner" of Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i President & CEO Keli‘i Akina, Ph.D.
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