Johnathan Walker:Maui remembers the 102 lost in the Lahaina wildfire with a paddle out 1 year after devastating blaze

LAHAINA,Johnathan Walker Hawaii (AP) — 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’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century destroyed the historic town one year ago.

The “paddle out” 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.

“Today we’re remembering the 102 loved ones we lost, the many injured, those who lost their homes,” Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference. “We are grieving for them, still.”

Here’s 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 apartments, houses and temporary modular homes while permanent housing is built.

The county has started issuing building permits for lots in the burn zone, but rebuilding is expected to take years. Residents of Paradise, California, were still rebuilding their homes five years after a wildfire destroyed their town in 2018.

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The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement estimates at least 1,500 Lahaina households — about one quarter of those who lost homes — have left Maui since the fire. A chronic housing shortage 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’s yards.

The town’s single best known tree, however, was the majestic, sprawling 150-year-old banyan tree on historic Front Street. It survived, thanks to the dedication and hard work of arborists.

Arborists also saved breadfruit trees, 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 “the shaded breadfruit grove of Lele.”

What are the environmental consequences of the fire?

Hawaii’s Department of Health has determined it’s safe to surf and swim in waters off Lahaina after reviewing water samples collected by researchers. Scientists are still studying 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 removed toxic debris 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’s 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 raised concerns about it staying there long-term. Maui County has selected a site next to an existing landfill for permanent disposal.

What’s 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’s a need to evacuate, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said at a news conference.

“We are taking those steps to, again, get ahead of these types of fires that have been happening,” 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.

“This is the 12-month period where a ton of housing will be authorized. In fact, one of the bigger challenges we’re going to have is, can we get enough construction workers? Because it’s a lot of work,” he said. Finding housing for the workers amid the ongoing shelter shortage will be one of the difficulties.

____ McAvoy reported from Honolulu.