More than a year after the Lahaina wildfires a survey shows a huge increase in poverty among residents affected on Maui.
MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (Island News) — Lahaina homeowner Mikey Burke and her family survived the devastating Maui wildfires. But she and many other ‘ohana who lost their homes are now trying to survive another disaster.
After exhausting homeowners’ insurance, she’s left every month with an outrageous bill.
“What we’re facing right now is a rental price for a three-bedroom home here for $7,600 a month,” Burke said. “We’re all in a rental crisis.”
She’s among the thousands of people whose lives have been turned upside down, according to a new report by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO).
The survey a year after the fires shows that affected households are paying more than 40% higher rent for the same or fewer bedrooms.
“The magnitude of people’s challenges one year after the wildfire are very striking to us,” said Trey Gordner, UHERO data scientist and housing researcher.
Not only have rents skyrocketed, but, “nearly one-in-five of respondents have seen their income drop by more than half since the wildfires. And the poverty rate in this fire-affected group is over twice as high.”
The report says poverty, unemployment and high rents continue to persist with gaps in assistance affecting the most vulnerable.
“It’s not just about the displacement,” he added. “It’s also about the destruction of a community, the destruction of businesses, the destruction of job and employment opportunities that have not yet returned.”
UHERO plans to continue the study for next two years to track Maui’s recovery process.