Current:Home > InvestGrowing number of Maui residents are 'barely surviving,' new report finds-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Growing number of Maui residents are 'barely surviving,' new report finds
View Date:2024-12-23 23:06:26
- Nearly half of Maui residents say their financial situation has worsened since the Lahaina fire.
- More than two-thirds of fire survivors have struggled to afford groceries in the last year.
- Nearly half – 45% – of fire survivors said they were “very seriously” or “somewhat seriously” thinking about leaving themselves.
Nearly half of Maui residents say their financial situation has worsened since the Lahaina fire and 1 in 5 are “seriously considering” leaving the state, according to a new report that paints a troubling picture of the challenges facing fire survivors – and the county as a whole.
More than two-thirds of fire survivors have struggled to afford groceries in the last year, and half have cut back on medical care for financial reasons.
“We don’t use the word ‘poverty’ very often to talk about the situations in Maui County and we should,” said Lisa Grove, lead researcher of the Maui Together Wildfire Assessment.
More than 2,000 county residents and 1,000 fire survivors participated in the assessment, which is being published by the Hawaii State Rural Health Association and drew on both written surveys and in-person and online focus groups.
The vast majority of respondents – whether they lived in West Maui or Lanai or Molokai – said they were more worried than hopeful about their future in Hawaii.
Perhaps most troubling, it’s the people with the deepest roots in Hawaii who expressed the most uncertainty about their future here, Grove said.
“It’s our Native Hawaiian community. It’s our kupuna. It’s the long-time residents,” Grove said during a presentation Thursday on the survey. “And that is tragic.”
'A phoenix from the ashes':How the landmark tree is faring a year after Maui wildfire
Fire Impacts Wide, But Unequal
The percentage of residents across the county who said they had been directly and indirectly impacted by the fires – 72% – was startling, said Grove, a Lanai resident who has been conducting polls and surveys in Hawaii since 1990.
“Those who have been directly impacted by the fires have experienced greater financial, mental and physical hardship than the rest of the county, though circumstances on all three islands have worsened over the past two years,” the assessment points out.
The mood of people surveyed across the county was grim. “Stress,” “uncertain” and “stressful” were among the most common words respondents countywide selected to describe their life. For fire survivors, “concerned,” “struggling” and “frustrated” were some of the most-used descriptors.
Fire survivors reported higher rates of being unemployed or under-employed than the rest of the county. They also tend to be younger, more likely to have children living with them and were less likely to have a college degree.
Just over half of fire survivors surveyed were living in West Maui, and those who had been able to stay on that side of the island appeared to be faring better than those housed in other places.
Housing instability was, unsurprisingly, a top issue for people displaced by the fire. Roughly 50% of fire survivors said they had moved at least three times since last August, and 11% had moved six or more times.
Mental health is also a significant issue, Grove said, and is something that needs to be prioritized in recovery efforts.
An Exodus Coming?
Though there is no definitive data on how many people have left Maui since the fire, the exodus of residents is a significant concern for many in the county.
A majority of people – 81% of fire survivors and 65% of county residents – have had friends move away from Maui since the fire, while 30% of fire survivors had family members leave.
Nearly half – 45% – of fire survivors said they were “very seriously” or “somewhat seriously” thinking about leaving themselves.
While people of all socioeconomic backgrounds said they were contemplating leaving the state, fire survivors who moved in the last year are more likely to be white, older and in a higher income bracket. People who had only been in the state a short time were also more likely to have departed after the fire.
Grove said that in past statewide surveys she’s conducted, there are generally three things people say keep them in Hawaii: ohana, a sense of aloha and the multi-ethnic and diverse nature of the state.
There’s going to be a tipping point, Grove believes, where those wonderful things are outweighed by the struggles of trying to live here.
“I feel like we can only go so far with those intangibles when you’re talking about people saying that they’re barely surviving,” she said.
This story was published in partnership with Honolulu Civil Beat, a nonprofit newsroom doing investigative and watchdog journalism relating to the state of Hawaii.
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation. Civil Beat’s community health coverage is supported by the Cooke Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation and Papa Ola Lokahi.
veryGood! (6889)
Related
- Joan says 'Yes!' to 'Golden Bachelorette' finale fantasy beach proposal. Who did she pick?
- Women’s World Cup winners maintain boycott of Spain’s national team. Coach delays picking her squad
- Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart Shares Update on her “Crazy” Body Dysmorphia and OCD Struggles
- Another Nipah outbreak in India: What do we know about this virus and how to stop it?
- QTM Community Introduce
- The Biggest Revelations From Jill Duggar's Book Counting the Cost
- Hep C is treatable, but still claiming lives. Can Biden's 5-year plan eliminate it?
- Millions under storm watches and warnings as Hurricane Lee bears down on New England and Canada
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- 3 men found not guilty in Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot. Who are they?
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Red Velvet, Please
- Ashton Kutcher Resigns as Chairman of Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organization After Danny Masterson Letter
- Birmingham church bombing survivor reflects on 60th anniversary of attack
- Jeezy files for divorce from Jeannie Mai after 2 years: 'No hope for reconciliation'
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
- Bus with migrants crashes as Italy transfers new arrivals to relieve pressure on Lampedusa island
- What’s streaming now: ‘Barbie,’ Dan & Shay, ‘The Morning Show’ and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’
- Looking for the new COVID vaccine booster? Here's where to get the shot.
Recommendation
-
Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
-
AP PHOTOS: In India, river islanders face the brunt of increasingly frequent flooding
-
Colorado mountain tied to massacre renamed Mount Blue Sky
-
Georgia religious group abused, starved woman to death, authorities say
-
Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
-
TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe’s strict data privacy rules
-
Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart Shares Update on her “Crazy” Body Dysmorphia and OCD Struggles
-
Q&A: The EPA Dropped a Civil Rights Probe in Louisiana After the State’s AG Countered With a Reverse Discrimination Suit