Amid the sound of hammers and drills, hundreds of homes are being built in Lahaina. Only 45 are completed.
But an additional 450 building permits have been issued, and over 300 more are being processed by Maui County right now.
Brandy Cajudoy is the owner of Cajudoy Construction, the business she runs with her husband, Ericson, who was born and raised in West Maui. They’re helping with rebuilds.
“It's fulfilling, and you know that you're helping the community,” she said. “We have at least two or three still in the permitting process, and then we have three out here that are actively being built. We're almost done with one, another one is like, right behind it.”
They’re in conversations with many more homeowners — and help walk them through every step of the process.
Cajudoy drove through Lahaina neighborhoods, checking on job sites.
“This house that we're coming up here is pretty much almost done,” she said, pulling alongside it.
The homeowner started the rebuilding process early, Cajudoy explained.
“She wanted the metal roof. So with one of the things we've been telling our clients is the more fire-resistant materials,” Cajudoy said. “One of them, big one, is the metal roof, and it can cost people about $30,000 more, if not more. It's worth it. It'll be around for a long time.”
In the meantime, many homeowners are still footing a mortgage on their burned house, in addition to paying rent elsewhere.
Fire survivor Jeremy DelosReyes and his wife, Gracie, have poured the cement foundation of their new home. He’s constructing their own rebuild, but it’s been a financial struggle — and they didn’t qualify for FEMA assistance.
“I had a 2,200-square-foot house,” DelosReyes said. “At $500 a square foot, my house is going to cost me $1.2 million. I have $400,000 of insurance. I pay $4,000 a month in rent. I got to come up with $6,000 just to cover my mortgage and rent.”
They’re not alone in the struggle. Lahaina neighborhoods show a variety of recovery phases. Some rebuilds are complete, some are in construction, and some lots still stand empty, with just gravel from the debris removal.
Cajudoy said that could stem from factors like financial strain or not being mentally ready to take on the daunting rebuild process.
“Every single person is at such a different place,” she said. “So many different stories, so many different situations. You have no idea if they've even gone through all of their insurance, you know, or do they have no insurance whatsoever.”
Cajudoy said half-finished houses could indicate homeowners ran out of money partway through the process.
Some insurance agencies require building to start before the two-year mark, which she said caused some people to rush into the process. Or it could be a shortage of specialized trade workers causing the delays.
“If you see a house, it's kind of like this right here,” she said, motioning to a mostly-finished structure. “They're probably inside doing plumbing. And, you know, the plumber could be backed up, because he's in three other jobs too.”
Along with their own business, Cajudoy is also a construction manager for Ho'ōla Long Term Recovery Group. In partnership with Lahaina Community Land Trust and Hawai’i Community Lending, the organization is helping residents fill funding gaps to complete their homes.
“Seeing homes be built, is great,” Cajudoy said. “There's hope. You know, I feel like there's so many slipping through the cracks, and I want to reach every single one of them. You know, we have to.”
A recent University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization study focused on monthly survey data from more than 950 fire-affected people over the past year. While the number of those in permanent housing has increased and median rents have started to decrease, there’s a long way to go towards recovery.
“If you were to measure your progress based on whether people have been able to return to their homes and to West Maui, then progress has been slow,” said UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham. “As of today, there are almost 80% of the fire-impacted households remain displaced from West Maui.”
In Lahaina town, much of Front Street is still closed. Bright orange barriers block entrances to the road. The future of the businesses and commercial buildings that once lined the oceanfront road remains in limbo.
The side of the harbor is open for recreation, including a keiki surf meet on a recent Friday afternoon. Kids are riding the waves and laughing as water splashes them while playing on the cement at the end of the harbor.
Yet amid moments of normalcy, much of the area is barely recognizable — charred foundations and seared paint on road signs.
One year ago, properties were being cleared and 400,000 tons of ash and debris were hauled out of town to a temporary site in Olowalu. Now, that’s all being transported to the final disposal site at the Central Maui Landfill almost 20 miles away.
More than 50 trucks are making the round trip four to five times a day. The debris is hauled in vehicles from Maui, all driven by local residents.
Lahaina resident Ka’ala Buenconsejo’s business, Kupale Technologies, is one of those subcontracted for debris transfer. He said he works with 10 local Maui truck owners, some of whom are from Lahaina.
“You bring that peace of mind that you were there from the beginning,” he said. “And a lot of these drivers that are currently driving actually drove during the debris removal. So, you know, it kept that sense of pride and recovery — and accountability.”
Trucks are now about halfway through the transfer process. The effort is led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which expects the process to take a few more months.
“It helps with the healing process,” Buenconsejo explained, “because, you know, a lot of us went through it. We stayed to the very end [of the fire], and we came back the next morning and the town was still smoking. So to be part of the cleanup, and then a lot of us are still helping with the rebuilding — it just brings it back.”
There’s a steady stream of trucks coming to and from Olowalu, but Buenconsejo said the process has been going smoothly.
“You do see a lot of trucks, but it's a sense of closure as well,” he said. “I think seeing the trucks that people know that this is it, this is the final piece to the closure, of at least closing up the debris and putting that piece of this disaster to rest.”
Lahaina families are still navigating the next piece of the disaster — and holding onto hope that one day, they’ll be back home.
Hawaiʻi Public Radio exists to serve all of Hawai’i, and it’s the people of Hawai’i who keep us independent and strong. Help keep us strong to serve you in the future. Donate today.
