'Hawaii is one family': Maui wildfire tragedy ripples across islands

HILO, Hawaii – When word of the devastating wildfires in Maui reached the more than 40 moms of The Mom Walk Collective, they sprang into action. It didn't matter that they were one island away from the tragedy.

"Our group chat lit up," said member Nita Gardipee. "We filled three shipping containers with kid and baby supplies and sent them over on the 10th, two days later."

These "stroller mommies" are part of a national organization and have a sister group in Maui. Two of those women lost their homes in the Lahaina fire and the Hilo moms have been working ever since to help.

Tuesday afternoon they took over a Hilo yoga studio next to a mochi shop to hold a bake sale. Coconut pudding, sourdough scones and brown butter Rice Krispie treats carefully labeled "Made in a home kitchen not regularly inspected by the Dept. of Health" sold briskly and within two hours they had raised $555.

The 30 miles between the islands of Maui and Hawaii don’t matter at all, said Gardipee.

“Everyone looks out for one another here,” she said. “Everyone knows or is related to someone who was affected.”

Two weeks after the fire, all across the Big Island of Hawaii residents said the same thing. “Hawaii is one family across a bunch of islands,” said Mary Grace Orr of Volcano, Hawaii.

She and her husband both dance with a hula halau, a hula dance school, and have been taking part in and attending benefits to help the people in Maui in the two weeks since fire tore through the town of Lahaina and killed at least 115 people.

“All of us know plenty of people who know people who were affected or who lost everything – or who haven’t been found,” she said.

On Monday, Hawaii officials said that some 850 people are still missing after the deadly wildfires.

Apart from the West Maui area, state officials welcome tourists, who are vital to the local economy, to the islands. Many Hawaii residents are asking for a little aloha spirit in return as they deal with the effects of the tragedy, which ripples far from Lahaina.

Fellowship and aloha amid tragedy

The famed aloha spirit of the islands is not just a marketing campaign, it has deep roots in traditional Hawaiian culture.

In the Hawaiian language, aloha is not just a greeting or a word to convey love. It has other meanings including, compassion, mercy, grace.

“The word ‘aloha’ means a lot of things,” said Francis Tsunezumi of Hilo. One of those is fellowship.

“We’re all close,” he said as he sat contemplating the Lili'uokalani Gardens in Hilo.

Tsunezumi is a member of a service organization called The National Exchange Club which dates back to 1911. His group has been discussing creating a Circle of Hope – Healing Field event in Hilo to honor those whose lives have been destroyed in Maui.

The hope is to create a ceremony where people on the Big Island of Hawaii will have time and space to honor those who died in the fires.

“We did something similar for 9/11 and during COVID,” he said. “It’s a way to pay our respects, to gather together and heal."

'We don’t want people to cancel their trips'

Some visitors also share an awareness that all the islands are suffering from the devastation and loss on Maui.

Todd and Leslie Felch of Naples, Florida, had a long-planned vacation to visit a friend’s home in upcountry Maui just after the fire hit on Aug. 8.

“She called and asked us if we could find somewhere else to stay, so she could give the space to staffers from FEMA,” said Leslie Felch, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The couple said “Yes, of course,” and were spending their time hiking in upcountry Hawaii instead. “We still wanted to come and support Hawaii, but we didn’t want to put any pressure on the community in West Maui,” said Leslie Felch.

That was the attitude of Marcus Beckmann and Melanie Brown of Juneau, Alaska. They were out playing guitars and singing in a Hilo park Tuesday, waiting for their hotel room to be ready for them.

“We waited to see if there would be notices we shouldn’t come,” said Beckmann. When it was clear that visitors – and the money they add to the islands’ economy – were still welcome, they decided to continue their trip.

“We wanted to bring our money and a smile,” said Brown.

That’s just what the state is hoping for, said T. Ilihia Gionson, public affairs officer with the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“We don’t want people to cancel their trips.” The island of Maui has 160,000 residents, and on any given day in 2023 there are about 70,000 visitors. That gives a sense of the scale of the tourism industry on the island and visitors' economic impact.

The state is hoping to avoid a secondary economic collapse brought on by job losses due to tourism slowdowns, something they experienced during COVID.

The only area of Hawaii officials are asking tourists to avoid is West Maui. The rest are “open and ready to welcome visitors,” said Gionson.

For some, that might mean taking a quick look at a map to see exactly where their vacation is booked. During the Kilauea volcano eruptions in 2018 on the Big Island, some tourists didn’t even know which island their travels were taking them to and canceled bookings hundreds of miles – and islands – away.

The one thing he asked is that visitors be a little mindful of what everyone in Hawaii is going through, even if they’re not from Maui. Stores and hotels might be short-staffed as workers take time to help their friends and families.

Gionson was heading to the airport to pick up family as he spoke to a reporter, and from the back seat, his father Anthony piped up. When people come to Hawaii, they expect to find the spirit of aloha.

“Well, aloha exists in everybody’s consciousness. So now," he said, "is a good time, when they come to visit, to share their aloha with us.”

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaiian Islands mourn Maui wildfires, but keep welcoming tourists