Maui households hit by last year's wildfires are facing alarming struggles, according to a new survey from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.
Poverty, unemployment, rent costs and housing instability have all increased dramatically, and are still rising, more than one year after the fires.
“The most striking results, I would say, are that nearly one in five of our respondents have seen their income drop by more than half since the wildfires, so they're earning less than half of what they made before the fires and the poverty rate in this fire affected group is over twice as high as it was before the fires," said Trey Gordner, data scientist, housing researcher and co-author of the survey.
"So these are pretty significant impacts that are continuing even a year after the fires, for people who lived, worked, own businesses in West Maui and Kula.”
Households affected by the fires are also typically paying over 40% more in rent for the same or fewer bedrooms. The proportion of fire-affected households living with family, friends or unhoused has nearly doubled since the wildfires.
Many survey respondents report ongoing unmet needs. More than 45% require financial support, more than 30% need housing assistance, and more than 20% lack adequate food.
This data comes from 402 individuals representing 374 households.
The study was launched this past August and will be continually updated with monthly surveys about their current situation.
Researchers say the new data is critical in supplying information that has been lacking from other sources. For example, the poverty rate for the survey cohort is more than three times higher than Maui County's most recent available poverty data in 2023.
“There’s a lack of timely data on how fire-impacted individuals are coping,” UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham. “Without this information, it’s hard to fully grasp the true pace of recovery or identify unmet needs. This is why we launched the survey.”
You can find the full survey and data dashboard here.
