LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) 鈥 Dozens of Maui surfers, canoe paddlers and boat riders made their way into the ocean off Lahaina on Thursday to remember the 102 people killed when the nation鈥檚 deadliest wildfire in more than a century destroyed the historic town one year ago.
The 鈥減addle out鈥 gathering is a ritual observed in Hawaii in honor of loved ones. So many spectators packed a beach park to watch the surfers that there was little room to move. People blew conch shells both from shore and the water as others dropped flower petals in the ocean.
鈥淭oday we鈥檙e remembering the 102 loved ones we lost, the many injured, those who lost their homes,鈥 Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference. 鈥淲e are grieving for them, still.鈥
Here鈥檚 what else you need to know about the first anniversary of the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire:
Where are people living?
The wildfire destroyed more than 2,200 homes and left 12,000 people without housing. Thousands spent the past year in hotels and have slowly been moving into rental and temporary modular homes while permanent housing is built.
The county has started issuing for lots in the burn zone, but rebuilding is expected to take years. Residents of Paradise, California, were their homes five years after a wildfire destroyed their town in 2018.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement estimates at least 1,500 Lahaina households 鈥 about one quarter of those who lost homes 鈥 have left Maui since the fire. A predating the fire has exacerbated the challenges of recovery.
How are the trees doing, including the banyan?
Arborists believe Lahaina lost about 25,000 trees in the fire, including fruit trees like mango, avocado, lychee and breadfruit in people鈥檚 yards.
The town鈥檚 single best known tree, however, was the majestic, sprawling 150-year-old on historic Front Street. , thanks to the dedication and hard work of arborists.
Arborists also saved , called ulu in Hawaiian. Ulu were among the edible plants Polynesian voyagers brought to Hawaii around 1,000 years ago.
The plant was once so important to Lahaina, which was formerly known as Lele, that the center of town was known as Malu ulu o Lele, or 鈥渢he shaded breadfruit grove of Lele.鈥
What are the environmental consequences of the fire?
Hawaii鈥檚 Department of Health has determined it鈥檚 in waters off Lahaina after reviewing water samples collected by researchers. Scientists how chemicals and metals from burned plastics, lead paint and lithium-ion batteries might affect offshore coral reef ecosystems.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency workers soon after the fire. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers then spent months clearing charred rubble and ash from over 1,300 residential and 60 commercial lots. It expects to be done by year鈥檚 end.
The debris removed by the Army Corps is being stored at a temporary site in Olowalu, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Lahaina, but environmentalists and local residents have about it staying there long-term. Maui County has selected a site next to an existing landfill for .
What鈥檚 next?
The Maui Fire Department has received funding to add 29 firefighters to its force, and the Maui Emergency Management Agency is getting 13 more workers. The county has been more assertive in sending police officers door-to-door to notify residents when there鈥檚 a need to evacuate, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said at a news conference.
鈥淲e are taking those steps to, again, get ahead of these types of fires that have been happening,鈥 Bissen said.
Green told The Associated Press in an interview last week that the state needed to accelerate the construction of transitional housing over the next year, and the county will need to approve more building permits.
鈥淭his is the 12-month period where a ton of housing will be authorized. In fact, one of the bigger challenges we鈥檙e going to have is, can we get enough construction workers? Because it鈥檚 a lot of work,鈥 he said. Finding housing for the workers amid the ongoing shelter shortage will be one of the difficulties.
____ McAvoy reported from Honolulu.
