I'd Never Thought Paradise Could Become Hell

Wildfires turn Maui from a tropical paradise into a flaming Hades in almost no time

There’s something weighing on me this morning that’s quite serious and takes precedence over ridiculing Matt Walsh, which is what I had planned. As enjoyable as that may sound, it just doesn’t feel right on a day when my heart is so heavy.

My thoughts are with the people of Maui, one of the loveliest places on this Earth and a corner of the world that easily qualifies as Paradise. Erin and I were there about a year and a half ago, and I recall it as some of the most peaceful and relaxing times of my life.

But while it might feel like Paradise to a tourist, it can be a tough place to live. The cost of living is ridiculously high, and there was a housing shortage before the fires earlier this week. People who live there, in many cases, live paycheck-to-paycheck, scraping by at best. Most tourists don’t see and/or pay attention to that.

I’m familiar with most of the areas- Kihei and Lahaina, in particular- that have been destroyed, and it’s heartbreaking. As of this morning, the death toll is 55 and will almost certainly rise.

By now, there are many places you may donate to that are seeking to help the people of Maui. One I strongly recommend is the Maui Strong Fund, administered by the Hawai’i Community Foundation.

Besides the dead and missing, the worst part of this unimaginable tragedy is that Maui, a place with a housing shortage before the wildfires, now has thousands more people without homes. Much of Lahaina, both residential and business districts, is now ash. Kihei has also been hit hard, as have some upcountry areas. As yet, no one knows where any of these folks will go.

As of this morning, the Maui fire is the second-most deadly in American history, but with close to a thousand people still missing, that could and probably will change quickly. And it may be years before Maui is back on its feet or even close to it.

So I’m finding it challenging to be my usually ridiculous self and hold even more impossibly ludicrous people up to well-deserved ridicule. Not much seems funny, even though it’s not as if I haven’t seen my share of widespread destruction. I’ve lived and worked in two war zones and spent two months in southeast Texas after a major hurricane blew through. I understand the impact a major disaster can have on people and their ability to live their lives. And so perhaps that’s why what’s happened in Maui has hit me so hard. Maybe it’s seeing the “before” and understanding what sorts of difficulties and privations the “after” will bring.

Perhaps tomorrow or the day after, I’ll return to my usual schtick. Right now, though, I feel like a part of my heart is gone, and I feel pretty helpless watching it from two time zones and an ocean away. I find myself wondering if I’ll ever be able to see Maui again.

Selfishness aside, I wonder what will become of the thousands who’ve lost their homes on an island short of housing even before the wildfires. Where will people go? Where will they live in the months, perhaps years, it will take to rebuild their homes…if that’s even possible in some cases? With the cost of living and housing as high as it is, will some folks be priced off the island?

What will happen to Maui’s economy, which heavily depends on tourism? Sure, the resorts and hotels are still there, but the people who work there will need places they can afford to live. How will Maui County, the State of Hawai’i, and the federal government help to make that happen?

And what will become of businesses and the tax base of Maui, most of which are now ashes?

There are so many questions and too damned few answers for people who desperately need them yesterday.

I hope you’ll forgive me for being a bit off today. The post I had planned seemed so…inappropriate given the circumstances. Real life and its challenges have a way of doing that.