The Struggles of Maui County

Nearly 6 in 10 have had to move at least 3 times since the fires. Nearly 1 in 5 have moved 5 times or more

“It took me over a year to schedule a
mammogram. Missed calls, not
returned calls. No appts made.”

JUNE 2024 Maui Together Report

“Initially being matched to a house with FEMA and then waiting 3 months to be told it was pulled from the program, to being matched a second time, to waiting again almost 2 months to finally move into the direct lease unit. Almost 5 months of waiting for no reason, after doing everything they said.”

“I don’t think anyone’s talked about how many suicides and how many things have happened post-fire, how much depression, how much PTSD. Everyone I know that was involved in it or escaping it, that is a friend of mine, is dealing with post-traumatic PTSD. Every time the wind blows harder, every time that ambulance goes by.“

“I have not slept a full eight hours in seven months.”

“I can’t get help. Seven of them dropped me before I found this community center, and then I was on the waiting list.”

“Fatigue comes on a little bit quicker… After the fire definitely had a lot of mental fog. Hard to focus on work when you’ve got so much other stuff going on and definitely not feeling you’re totally there.”

“I do feel like mental health is like a huge issue now, and that should be a focus for a lot of people in recovery efforts, and now that people have a place that they can stay for a little bit, and they can have time to think, and maybe they’re not working with insurance people every day, I feel like now people are realizing like, ‘Oh my gosh, this fire really affected me.’”

We offer a huge mahalo to the focus group participants. You shared your mana’o, lived experiences, and expertise. Without you, we would have missed something important. On behalf of all respondents, we hope we have faithfully reported your views, concerns, and priorities. We hope your opinions will be heard and acted upon.