Navigating Wildfires: Maui Honeymoon Reflections

Palisadian-Post Assistant Editor Lily Tinoco Recounts Her Time in Maui When Deadly Fires Broke Out, Shares Several Ways Palisadians Can Support Island Residents

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Hawaii is special—I think the sentiment rings true for many.

I have had the opportunity to visit the islands a number of times, happily returning with both friends and family. It wasn’t even a question of where when my then-fiance, Braden, and I booked a trip to Maui for our honeymoon.

We got married on Saturday, August 5, and ventured off to Maui from LAX on Monday, August 7. We arrived to strong winds—winds I had never experienced before in Hawaii. The winds caused a lot of turbulence during our descent, so much so that an elderly woman sitting beside me grabbed and squeezed my hand until we landed on the runway.

“I am visiting my daughter who is nine months pregnant, she is going to give me my first grandchild,” she told me between sharp breaths.

The rough landing—unknowingly at the time—really set the tone for the trip.

We landed, grabbed our rental car and headed to our hotel in Kaanapali, an area in West Maui, just a few miles north of Lahaina.

Upon arriving, I did some research and discovered what was causing such winds. Hurricane Dora was brewing south of Hawaii, a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. With the hurricane passing beneath us, we were told strong winds were to be expected, but beyond that, we would be fine.

On Tuesday, August 8, at about 3 a.m., we were awakened by winds smacking our balcony door and noticed our hotel lost power. We went back to sleep, assuming the outage was a fluke, and power would be up and running by the morning.

Come morning, there still wasn’t power and we lost cell service.

We drove to the Lahaina Safeway, and noticed the strong winds persisted and many shops were closed. Though Safeway was open, the store didn’t have power and was tying its fridge doors shut in an attempt to keep food from spoiling.

A local let us know that power lines fell in the windstorm and impacted a large portion of West Maui. Many homes, hotels and shops did not have power.

“This is the adventure of visiting Hawaii,” he told us with a laugh.

His lighthearted comment kept us hopeful that things would be better soon.

By Tuesday evening, we noticed two long lines forming across the street from our resort and found that only two eateries were open to feed the resort area we were staying in: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and Java Jazz. The eateries didn’t have power but were utilizing generators to make meals.

L&L had a line of over 100 people, so we took our luck with Java Jazz.

After waiting two hours in line, the eatery announced it would only be accepting cash. Braden took out his wallet and counted four $1 bills. We were about to step out of line when a couple behind us, Debbie Taylor-French and Patrick French, offered to pay for our meal.

“We’re happy to do it,” Debbie told us.

But we feared we would never make it to the front after seeing L&L shut its doors and announce its generator ran out of gas, turning families away who had waited for hours.

We waited three more hours in line at Java Jazz before it was our turn, cheering once we reached the front. We were served two ground-beef tacos each and thanked the lone chef for his work that night—cooking in a candlelit kitchen and relying on a generator to power the appliances.

We took a selfie with Debbie and Patrick to commemorate the feat, and she typed her number into my phone so I could send her the photo when we had service again.

Together, we returned to our hotel, walking past hundreds of people still waiting for meals and Times Supermarket, which was only letting families with children purchase groceries. A large plume of black smoke was also rising in the distance.

Without cell service and without power, we still didn’t know what was going on outside of the resort area, but sensed something was very wrong.

We stopped by our resort’s front desk and asked if they would be able to provide any information.

“We’re not sure,” the receptionist told us. “Our only communication is through a radio, and even that isn’t working too well.”

By Wednesday morning, Braden and I thought it best to drive out of West Maui. With a paper map we picked up at the airport, we ventured north. Braden noticed the route would get us to Kahului, where the airport was, and we were bound to find some more information there.

But the journey was not easy. We took Kahekili Highway, a 21-mile narrow, curvy, cliff-hugging, one-lane stretch. For those who are familiar, Kahekili Highway is known to be even more dangerous than Maui’s Road to Hana.

As we approached Kahului, our phones began to sound off.

“I hope you and Braden are safe.”

“Let me know if you’re OK. I got a hurricane and wildfire warning for Maui.”

“Praying for you guys.”

Alarmed by the messages and missed calls, we pulled over and caught ourselves up on the news. We weren’t prepared to see videos of flames ripping through Lahaina, a historic coastal town that was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Homes, business and cultural treasures were engulfed by flames that erupted overnight, people jumped into the harbor to escape the heat—and we were just five miles away from the ongoing devastation.

We spent the rest of the day near the airport. There we knew we were safe.

That night, mass bus evacuations for visitors were being staged at different resorts in Kaanapali to bring people to the airport. We saw a narrow opportunity and thought to ask the team of bus drivers if we could join them en route to the resort to grab our things, then hop back on and return to the airport with them.

“Come with me,” one bus driver said.

He kindly invited us on the bus and spoke about his life, and how he has been a tour guide for many years and reminisced on Lahaina, which was a frequent stop.

He explained that Lahaina attracts many visitors, and the hotels can’t accommodate what the town offers. He predicted it would be years before the town recovers.

We were on the road for half an hour before he got an incoming phone call. He was asked to reroute and turn around. The airport was at capacity for the night.

“I’m really sorry,” he told us.

We were advised to spend the night at the War Memorial Stadium Complex—which had been converted into a temporary shelter for those who had been displaced by the fires.

We felt guilty taking up space in the shelter and slept in our rental car that night.

We spent Thursday going back and forth between Honoapiʻilani Highway (Route 30) and Kahekili Highway, speaking with officials and trying to retrieve our things so we could leave the island sooner. The roads would open and close frequently, it was just a matter of luck and timing.

But by the evening, we were exhausted and felt defeated. Braden parked the car at a lot near the Route 30 entrance and we fell asleep.

We were awakened by two ladies knocking on our window. They let us know they were from Living Way Maui Community Center and they had beds for us to spend the night in. They insisted we follow them, and so we did.

We were thankful for their thoughtfulness and a safe space to rest that night.

That same night I texted Debbie to ask how her and Patrick were doing, and to see if service had been restored on that side of the island.

“We are at the hotel still,” she responded. “Still no power, but we have water. Someone offered to take us to the airport in the morning.”

I asked Debbie if she would do us the favor of grabbing our things from our hotel room and bringing them to us. I provided any information I thought necessary to authorize access and asked that she bring our most important belongings: keys, travel documents and some sentimental items we had left behind.

“We have as much as we could grab,” she said.

Upon meeting Patrick and Debbie at the airport Friday morning, we greeted them with a hug. They had our two suitcases and tote bags, filled with things we didn’t even think they would grab.

Finally, a triumph.

Because we never returned to our hotel after that Wednesday morning, we would have gone home without any of our things if it weren’t for Debbie and Patrick.

It had been a rough few days and we were looking forward to being home soon.

Our flight home was originally scheduled to leave Kahului Airport Friday night, before being delayed 14 hours and rescheduled for Saturday, August 12, at 12 p.m. We returned our car rental that night and accepted that we would spend the next 14 hours in the open-air airport. Families beside us were sleeping on the grass, laying on the ground. We attempted to do the same.

After a few hours, we tried our luck and ordered a ride to Living Way Maui again, hoping their doors would be open and they would let us stay one more night.

We were recognized from the night before, and greeted with hugs by Chevylee Mahoe and Senior Pastor Greg Dela Cruz.

“The first time you come to Living Way, you’re a visitor,” they told us. “The second time, you’re ohana.”

Ohana is a Hawaiian term, meaning “family.”

They hugged us again good night and wished us well on our travels the following day.

That night I reflected on the generosity of others and the luck we had during this time of crisis.

I prayed for those affected and I felt hurt for Hawaii. Braden and I were able to escape on a flight, but for many, the reality was the loss of a home, a family member, a business.

As the Palisadian-Post went to print Tuesday evening, the wildfires that ignited that week killed at least 114 people and more than 800 people remained missing, making it the deadliest United States wildfire in over 100 years.

In addition to the fatalities, the fire destroyed over 2,200 structures in Lahaina. Maui County officials said the fire burned an estimated 2,170 acres, with 89% of the blaze contained at the time of print.

Palisadians are taking action and organizing ways to help Maui.

Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club member Erin Kyle Osborne partnered with ROAM Maui and collected donations outside Palisades Branch Library on Friday, August 18, to gather clothing and items for babies, children, women and men in need.

Sheila Morovati, founder of Pacific Palisades-based nonprofit Crayon Collection, announced a donation of several thousand crayons to the Salvation Army in Kahului, and that a full art education program will be sent to the Department of Education in Hawaii.

“We know in times of extreme challenge, that art can have healing powers and benefit children across a range of social and emotional benefits,” according to the announcement. “We will continue to support as many schools and organizations that are working hard to rebuild.”

Crayon Collection asked that Palisadians consider donating to its efforts at projectcamp.co/donate.

Palisadians can also support Maui Food Bank, which is accepting monetary donations, at mauifoodbank.org/donate.

“With every $1 donated, the Maui Food Bank can provide four meals to the hungry living in our island community,” according to the website.

The Red Cross is working with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to move displaced residents to hotels instead of shelters.

“Since the fires began, the Red Cross and the county government have provided more than 5,300 overnight shelter stays in 16 emergency shelters on Maui and Oahu,” according to the Red Cross website. “With the help of partners, we have provided more than 32,600 meals and snacks to people in need … You can help people affected by disasters like fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief.”

To help those specifically affected by the Hawaii wildfires, donors have the option to select “Hawaii Wildfires” on redcross.org, or text the word HAWAII to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

I hope community members continue to support Maui and efforts—local and beyond—to help its people.