Trending
"There's no place like home for the holidays."
It's as true now as back in 1954 when Perry Como released the song on RCA Victor records.
"For the holidays, you can't beat home sweet home."
Depending on beliefs and traditions, the celebrations start with Hanukkah and carry on through Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day. Each holiday espouses goodwill, sharing and gathering with those you love. They're about kitchens filled with laughter and seeing how tall everybody's kids have grown over the past year. Some folks revere the special days as excuses to curl up with a favorite movie or enjoy quiet meals together. Parents go all out to create special memories for their kids.
Those are the Hallmark movie versions. Holidays can also be stressful and triggering. We can only imagine how that schmaltzy song sounds to someone who lost their Lahaina or Kula home to wildfire. Nobody could blame them for muttering "bah humbug."
More than 7,000 displaced Maui fire victims face a holiday season like none before. These survivors have certainly proven their resiliency and perseverance, but along comes another big test, one that can't help but remind them of how much has been lost and how long it will be before their world returns to anything close to normal.
Some displaced residents have found new homes by leaving the island. Others have been fortunate to secure long-term rentals here. And then there are all those stuck in the limbo of temporary housing. There will be no going home for the holidays for individuals and families being shuffled from hotel room to hotel room or couch-surfing under the roofs of generous family and friends. Those on the move say the nomadic existence is both frustrating and stressful. Uncertainty builds anxiety during an already anxious time.
Our government officials say they are working hard to secure long-term housing on Maui. Activists occupying Kaanapali Beach say those politicians need to work harder and faster.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has floated a plan to pay owners of short-term rentals up to $5,000 a month for one-bedroom apartments and up to $11,000 for four bedrooms. Green may be right that the 18-month, $252 million program is cheaper than other options, but has he considered what paying those sums is going to do to Maui's already overpriced rental market? This could cause a domino effect that prices more people off the island. As with every facet of our fire recovery, there are few easy answers and unintended consequences abound.
Neighborhoods of tiny homes have begun sprouting around the island and many more are planned. We have toured a few of the pop-ups, modular units and tents. They look better than being houseless for the holidays, but are far cry from what Maui people are accustomed. Before Aug. 8, who would have pictured themselves celebrating Christmas in a prefabricated box?