Hawaii’s housing crisis had already been severe before a devastating fire exacerbated the situation. Displaced families now face the arduous task of rebuilding their lives.
In the early hours of August 8, 2023, the Dadez family noticed smoke about two and a half miles uphill from their Lahaina home on Maui. The fire was fueled by extreme winds, a severe drought, and dried fields from a former sugar cane plantation. Initially, the family believed the fire would not reach their home near the ocean.
That night, as the sky turned ominous orange and red, Marilou Dadez realized the threat was real. Her husband, Randy, was 10 miles away in Kapalua at his job as a shuttle bus driver. At home with her four children, she prepared for an urgent escape. “The sky was orange,” recalled their daughter Rhaliyah, aged 22. “It was red. It was so scary.” They quickly packed their 2001 Honda with belongings and fled.
Rianna, the Dadez’s 24-year-old daughter, had recently started learning to drive. Tasked with navigating through dark roads, she drove as embers streaked past their windshield. Explosions, shattering windows, and collapsing homes marked the chaotic scene.
This deadly wildfire became the most catastrophic in the United States in more than a century, consuming 2,170 acres and destroying over 2,700 structures. Tragically, at least 102 lives were lost, and around 12,000 people became homeless overnight.
Less than a year after the disaster, 11,637 Hawaii residents found themselves without homes. This marked an 87% increase in homelessness from pre-fire levels. Many residents now reside in emergency shelters or transitional housing provided by FEMA or in less conventional spaces like friends’ garages.