Maui wildfire

We've stayed in Lahaina twice. Most recently back in March 2020 with SO's mother and sister just as the pandemic was starting. It's terribly sad that so much of it has burned. Such a lovely place and a lot of history that is just gone now. Although I feel lucky to have had a chance to see things like the Baldwin House, it will be bittersweet the next time I'm there and those places aren't. I'd never really thought of Hawaii as high risk from wildfire.

And SO and I now have the odd distinction of being in the category of "two hotels we've stayed at have burned down in wildfires". The first was a Hilton in Santa Rosa CA that was destroyed in the Tubbs fire in 2017. The second is an Outrigger condo resort in Lahaina. I went looking today and it is the two cross shopped buildings 45 degrees off from N/S/E/W in the dead center of the second pair of photographs in this link.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...smid=url-share

I almost moved there instead of here 25 years ago, and it's just a terrible thing!

I now do not even visit for tourist purposes because of thinking along these lines:

https://www.hawaiistar.com/why-you-s...vel-to-hawaii/

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Originally Posted by bae

I now do not even visit for tourist purposes because of thinking along these lines:

https://www.hawaiistar.com/why-you-s...vel-to-hawaii/

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Sort of sounds like Aspen in these parts. (Other than Aspen isn't burning).

I'd always pictured Hawaii as sort of a semi-rain forest place with lush green vegetation. Obviously there are places or times when this doesn't apply.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

Sort of sounds like Aspen in these parts. (Other than Aspen isn't burning).

I'd always pictured Hawaii as sort of a semi-rain forest place with lush green vegetation. Obviously there are places or times when this doesn't apply.

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Articles I’ve been reading in NYT indicate there has been a lot less rain for decades now.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I'd always pictured Hawaii as sort of a semi-rain forest place with lush green vegetation. Obviously there are places or times when this doesn't apply.

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Parts of it are exactly like that and parts are very much not. To take the big island, for example, the Kona side is very dry and, hence, is where all the big resorts are. The Hilo side gets crazy amounts of rain. The part in the middle can be cold (at least by Hawaii standards) because of the elevation.

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Originally Posted by bae

I almost moved there instead of here 25 years ago, and it's just a terrible thing!

I now do not even visit for tourist purposes because of thinking along these lines:

https://www.hawaiistar.com/why-you-s...vel-to-hawaii/

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Wow... a neighbor goes to Hawaii every year and she said she loves to go because "it's a paradise." Leave it to humans to mess up yet another Eden. When will we ever learn?

Bae’s link mentions the Mexican Yucatán peninsula as a less endangered and cheaper place than Hawaii. It is quite cheap. And probably easier to get to for many Americans. 4 hour flight from Chicago to Cancun. I was based in Playa del Carmen for my cave diving last year and going back for a week in December.

I’m not all that keen on tropical paradise getaways, so I have not been to Hawaii. I’m sure it’s lovely however. But aren’t there tropical places that have all the pretty plants of Hawaii? That’s why I would go to see it, the last tropical flowering things. like Fiji for instance. Or places in Thailand. Etc..

If you donate, I’m going to suggest the Salvation Army rather than the Red Cross. RC has a reputation for using current disasters for fundraising and then using the funds for other things. Their executives also made a ton of cash. That is most definitely not the case with the SA.

I agree with much of what bae’s article says. Interestingly one of the main reasons that Guam citizens who don’t want to become a state cite is that they view Hawaii as a cautionary tale. Guam is currently not a major tourist destination or retirement destination for anyone because their property ownership laws forbid anyone from owning land who is less than 50% full Guamian. That prevents the big hotel companies from coming in and building ginormous hotels and driving up real estate prices.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

If you donate, I’m going to suggest the Salvation Army rather than the Red Cross. RC has a reputation for using current disasters for fundraising and then using the funds for other things. Their executives also made a ton of cash. That is most definitely not the case with the SA.

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Also, The Greater Good (vetted charity) is set up to collect monies for threatened animals in the area: https://greatergood.com/clicktogive/ggc/home

I have been to Maui once and split my time between both sides of the island. It’s really beautiful. I have been to Mexico only by cruising and take the cruise tours. Mexico is too dangerous to go visit so it won’t take the place of Hawaii for many tourists. It has problems that Hawaii doesn’t.

Anyone that’s been in the military usually hates the Red Cross and won’t give a dime to them especially military personnel that have asked for assistance. I give to the Salvation Army because their salaries are small and the money goes to help people.

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Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

I have been to Maui once and split my time between both sides of the island. It’s really beautiful. I have been to Mexico only by cruising and take the cruise tours. Mexico is too dangerous to go visit so it won’t take the place of Hawaii for many tourists. It has problems that Hawaii doesn’t.

Anyone that’s been in the military usually hates the Red Cross and won’t give a dime to them especially military personnel that have asked for assistance. I give to the Salvation Army because their salaries are small and the money goes to help people.

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Depending on where you go in MX, it’s fine if you stay in the tourist areas.