Maui fire impact reaches SJSU

By Alicia Alvarez PRODUCTION EDITOR

Multiple wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii have devastated the region, with the town of Lahaina being the most impacted, according to an Sunday Maui now article, a local newspaper.

An estimated 80% of the town has been decimated, 2,170 acres have been burned with 89% of the fire contained, according to the Maui Now article.

San Jose State environmental studies professor Will Russell said the fire was so deadly because of the effects of climate change.

“Hawaii has historically had wildfires, that’s not unusual,” Russell said. “What’s unusual about this is the climatic conditions that were taking place when the fire started . . . We’re starting to see unusual fires in unusual places around the world.”

The Pacific Ocean became the last place of safety for some trying to escape the flames. The United States Coast Guard reported rescuing 17 people from the water. It was estimated that up to 100 people may have sought refuge in the ocean, according to an Aug. 12 article from Star Advertiser, Hawaii’s largest local daily newspaper.

Design studies senior Kaysha Leina’ala Ragocos is a native Hawaiian and has lived on the island of Kauai for 21 years.

She said aside from the loss of ancestral land and homes, another pressing issue is the displacement of residents.

“There has been a roaming concern within the islands for a while now that most locals and natives are being outsold of their land, property and culture,” Ragocos said.

She said developers and real estate agents are attempting to buy scorched land and property from Hawaiian residents and natives. This creates the potential issue of the island becoming unlivable for many natives because of skyrocketing rent prices and materials to rebuild.

“I fear that no matter how much these people belong to the land, they won’t be able to return. Some may be lucky, and some might be chased out,” she said.

Ragocos said the loss of culturally and historically significant areas adds another layer of grief for Maui residents.

“Lahaina as a whole carried heavy cultural significance to the Hawaiian people,” Ragocos said. “That land is where so much of our history was embedded.”

There are a number of factors that contributed to how quickly the fire spread.

Russell said the hot and dry winds from the southern part of the island propelled the fire.

“The proximity of where the fire started to this populated center also contributed to the nature of the town itself, which was a beautiful, old, mostly wooden historic village, [which] led to some of the destructive nature as well,” he said.

Russell said the infrastructure of Maui is set to change in various ways, from ancestors’ past,” Ragocos said. While SJSU Pacific Islander students account for only 0.4% of the student population, according to the university’s statistics page, there have been measures to offer support and resources.

The university offered a variety of resources for students impacted by the wildfire, according to a mass email sent on Aug. 12 by Interim Chief Diversity Officer Dawn Lee.

Resources including the Center for Asian Pacific Student Empowerment and the Asian Pacific Islander Faculty Staff Association were named in the same email.

While events to support Maui have not been organized on campus, individual

Kaysha Leina’ala Ragocos senior design studies major

the displacement of residents and loss of cultural landmarks to the residual affects the fire will have on the environment.

“Most of the negative effects we are going to see from the fire environmentally will be to the ocean,” he said. Wildfires near the ocean can result in runoff and damage to the reef ecosystem.

Much of the historic downtown area of Lahaina was damaged or completely destroyed by the fire.

The Old Lahaina Courthouse, which served as the Lahaina Heritage Museum, was damaged and lost most of the collection of artifacts it housed.

Historic local landmarks including the Pioneer Inn, the Baldwin House, and the famous 150-years-old banyan tree were all damaged or destroyed as well according to an Aug. 10 Star Advertiser article.

“The Native Hawaiian people lost these long standing symbols of their and community based fundraising is more apparent, Lee said.

Program director for the Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment (CAPISE), Jinni Pradhan said there are various ways for students to receive support.

CAPISE is the center to go to if students do not know where to start, Pradhan said.

“Sometimes we send out this giant list of resources and people are not sure where to start or maybe intimidated,” Pradhan said.

She said CAPISE as a center is meant to be a friendly face where students can consult and then figure out where they want to go next.

President for the Pacific Islander Student Association and public health sophomore Lute Finau said there are a few ways to help.

“Don’t go to Hawaii. Just send that money that you plan on spending on yourself, send it over there,” Finau said. “They need help, they need money.”

While donating money may not be possible for all students, Finau said spreading awareness helps as well.

“Make sure that you’re fully educated about what’s going on and learn even deeper about the needs right now,” Pradhan said.

Here are some organizations accepting donations to aid Maui residents in this time of recovery and grief:

Maui Strong Fund

Maui United Way

Na Keiki O Emalia

Maui Food Bank LaHui Foundation

The Maui Strong Fund disperses donations to various organizations to aid the local population.

$52,106,537 has been raised as of Aug. 18.

Maui United Way allocates and approves grant funding to grassroots organizations for basic needs of the local population.

Na Keiki O Emalia is a grief support group focused on helping children and teens after the death of loved ones.

Maui Food Bank is requesting non-perishable foods and basic hygiene products.

LaHui Foundation is collecting monetary donations to aid Maui residents impacted by the Lahaina wildfire.