In early August 2023, at least 98 people were killed by wildfires in Maui. The wildfires also destroyed more than 2,000 structures and destroyed Lahaina, a historic town.
Lots of people are still without work and staying in temporary housing, but in spite of that, Maui has reopened for tourism, a move that has been criticized by many residents. Lahaina is still recovering. One resident, William Fincher of Lahaina, is still without a home. The restaurant owner also lost his restaurants in the wildfires.
He is one of many who is currently staying in temporary housing. Maui builder Juan Ricci is trying to help Fincher and his family by building tiny homes. With the help of donations, he hopes to build homes for more families, as long-term housing options remain uncertain. He is also teaching other people about how they can get involved.
"The mortgage keeps coming, the rents still come in, the health insurance will come in … we need to create new jobs," Ricci explained to Good Morning America. "I've been teaching people. They're not construction workers, but they can help out on the tiny home project." He also hopes that he can raise money to pay the people who have involved in the process of building tiny homes for displaced residents.
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Ricci also said that the process of rebuilding Lahaina will take time. "The rebuilding of Lahaina's not going to happen in a couple months or a year, you know. It's going to be a long time until Lahaina gets built," he said. The mayor and Hawaii’s governor made the decision to open Maui to tourists again in hopes that doing so could help the economy. Gov. Josh Green called it “a gentle reopening that will serve both the people and local businesses," with only some hotels opening to guests.
