AWith the elder’s call of “Kani Ka Pū,” the sound of the conch echoes across Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park, drawing hundreds of surfers and outrigger canoeists to the water. They paddle out, their silhouettes sharp against the horizon, to commemorate the 102 people who lost their lives in Maui’s wildfires one year ago.
On land, the community gathers for a common purpose: groups that have risen from the ashes offer workshops on making leis, screen-print “LAHAINA STRONG” on clothing, and provide free child care for families still trying to rebuild their lives. Clergy, hotel workers, and small business owners join hands in prayer and song, their voices mingling with the ocean breeze—a testament to Lahaina’s enduring spirit.
One year ago, wildfires ravaged my beloved Maui. Today, on the anniversary of those tragic events, I reflect on the remarkable resilience and unity that has blossomed from the charred remains.
Read more: The climate crisis and colonialism have destroyed my home on Maui. What happens next
In those first chaotic days, Maui came together and created over a dozen Hope Centers in beach parks, parking lots and abandoned shopping centers. These community centers became lifelines, processing millions in food, clothing and in-kind donations. World Central Kitchen supported local culinary heroes like Sheldon Simeon and Mark Noguchi of Maui Chef Hui to serve thousands of hot meals to survivors at these centers.
These centers were beacons of hope while corporate landowners ran for cover and FEMA aid was slow to arrive. But the community knew it needed more sustained support.
Indigenous and immigrant elders blessed a new generation of community leaders—service workers like Paʻele Kiakona, pregnant mothers like Jordan Rudias and Courtney Lazo, and immigrant social workers like Veronica Mendoza Jachowski—who, despite their grief and loss, were already out there caring for their neighbors: from coordinating clothing drives to working as pro bono translators to repairing roofs. They and many other young leaders were called to lead our island’s recovery.
They drew on the enduring legacy of civil rights leaders, plantation workers’ union leaders, Protectors of Mauna Kea, Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, and Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, and embodied their spirit of unwavering hoʻomana (a yearning for community power) and aloha ʻĀina (a deep patriotism and connection to our land).
Under the motto “Lahaina Strong,” volunteers conducted comprehensive needs assessments, coordinated essential services such as child care and mental health support, and built mutual aid networks. After gaining the trust of their communities and consolidating their influence, they sought power.
Past disasters have shown that true recovery requires sustained efforts at all levels – regulatory, legislative and community. Although grassroots fundraising for Maui was significant, the staggering $5.5 billion needed for full recovery had to be met through government intervention. Lahaina was aware of this inequality and mobilized against the colonial institutions that historically controlled our island’s resources.
Their movement, embodied by hundreds wearing “Lahaina Strong” T-shirts who testified at public forums, received the unanimous support of the Maui County Council and helped shape the state’s legislation.
The months-long occupation of Kaʻanapali Beach became the focal point of their movement, symbolizing their right to the land and their determination to reclaim our community spaces. Here, amid the tourist crowds, they set up camp to “fish for housing,” a reference to the cultural renaissance of the 1970s when Native Hawaiian leaders secured constitutional rights to access public resources for traditional gathering practices.
This served not only as a media event to raise awareness of the thousands of families still experiencing homelessness, but also as an educational platform. Handcrafted Lahaina Strong ornaments were sold for $100 a piece, raising tens of thousands of dollars in direct aid over the holidays and raising visitors’ awareness and changing their understanding of the plight on Maui.
The results have shaken Hawaii’s power structures. The Lahaina community’s efforts have so far brought in more than a billion dollars in federal aid, corrected the wrongful firing of a Native Hawaiian government employee, and reclaimed tens of thousands of illegal vacation homes from fire survivors and other local families.
Lahaina has pioneered a new model for disaster relief that shifts the focus from charity to change, setting a precedent as climate disasters become more common around the world. This model has sparked one of the most impactful responses to disasters in modern times, not only helping those affected but also empowering them to lead their own recovery efforts.
But their work is far from over. The power company that started the devastating fire has no mandate to improve its infrastructure, and the invasive grasses that fueled the fires are still there. Meanwhile, local rivers, once the lifeblood of Lahaina, are still controlled by colonial interests, and unchecked pollution continues to exacerbate global climate change.
Read more: Study: Forest fires on Maui had serious health and economic consequences for the population
Lahaina needs continued government investment to build more resilient infrastructure and accelerate the transition to clean energy worldwide. Polluters and landowners must be held accountable for environmental and social harms. More land, both locally and statewide, should be designated for conservation and entrusted to Native residents. Their stewardship is critical to fostering resilient communities and reversing biodiversity loss.
But momentum is on Maui’s side. With a clean slate and renewed vigor, Lahaina is ready to reinvent itself as a global leader in nature-based, modern solutions—like community solar, regenerative agriculture, agri-energy and ecotourism—and a new generation of leaders has emerged to show us the way home.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, a single 45-foot outrigger canoe glides back to shore, its paddlers moving in tune with the ocean current. Guided by their ancestors and propelled by the power of Kanaloa, Guardian of the Ocean, they embody the strength of generations past and present. Their paddles dip rhythmically into the water—”hut, hut, ho”—in such perfect synchronicity that the crowns of their heads remain immovable on the horizon.
This unity, a rarity in today’s polarized society, has given strength to the original inhabitants of Malu ‘Ulu o Lele, the old name of Lahaina Town, for centuries. It is the same unity that will heal this island and help its people flourish again.
