LAHAINA, Hawaii — The first round of residents displaced by a vicious summer wildfire began the painful journey home Monday, marking the first time they have been allowed inside the disaster zone to see their empty properties.
Cars trickled into a Hawaii National Guard security checkpoint, some carrying residents in head-to-toe protective gear, who were escorted onto their properties as volunteers stood by to help them safely sift through the wreckage.
“They are standing in front of a loved one and saying goodbye,” volunteer Todd Taylor said. “It’s very important for these homeowners to look through that ash and see what’s there.”
Re-entry comes after weeks of toxic cleanup following the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire that killed 97 people. It was one of three fires that terrorized Maui that day and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, most of them homes.
Darryl Oliveira, interim administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, said the agency granted permits for 23 parcels Monday, and 16 families had entered so far.
He said officials are trying to keep the dispersal of potentially dangerous or toxic dust to a minimum and asking families to tread very lightly on their land.
“People are taken aback by the extent of the destruction,” he said, adding that he saw one family pause in prayer before walking onto their property. “They are finally getting some closure.”
Oliveira said he expects to “pick up the pace” of the operation and to announce the reopening of more zones by the end of the week, with the goal of completing Lahaina re-entries within one to two months, depending on how quickly the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finishes cleanup.
A similar ritual already occurred in the mountains near the Kula fire, where residents were able to find wedding rings and other heirlooms.
Leading up to Monday’s re-entry, some residents had expressed trepidation not only about what they would see and what feelings would arise, but about the safety of the ground and air even after cleanup.
The fires have reignited a deep distrust in the government and its recovery effort within the Native Hawaiian community, which fought for generations for a share of the state’s natural resources after sugar cane plantations and tourism took over much of the land and water.
Chuck Hogan, a resident whose nearby home was not destroyed but who was watching his neighbors return, said that after the fire, the landscape “looked like pictures of Hiroshima.”
He’s been living in his lanai, a covered porch, without water or electricity since the fire and is caring for a neighbor’s parrot while the neighbor, whose home was lost, stays in a government-subsidized hotel that doesn’t allow pets.
“There’s nothing left but the concrete walls,” he said of his neighbors’ homes. “It’s all ash. Everything is just gone.”