Terrible wildfires happened in early August 2023 in Hawaii. The deadly Maui wildfire is expected to be the second-deadliest natural disaster in Hawaiian history after Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Is it safe to travel to Hawaii now? What you need to know for tourists planning to go on vacation to Hawaii in the near future.
Wildfires have occurred on both the Big Island and Maui.
Fires on the Big Island engulfed parts of North and South Kohala, and these fires were (seemingly) quickly contained.
There was a terrible natural disaster on the island of Maui (Tuesday, August 8, 2023). Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the fires are likely to be the largest natural disaster in the state's history.
There have been several fires on the island. The city of Lahaina was almost devastated by a forest fire. An evacuation order was also issued in the Kaanapali community in western Maui.
Unfortunately, people died. The nature of the island also suffered great damage. There was a temporary lack of electricity and cell service in West Maui.
🚒 All the efforts of the official authorities are aimed at helping people and fighting fires. Some airlines have canceled flights to focus on getting tourists off the island. County officials have asked visitors to leave in order to focus on the crisis.
"All non-essential trips to the island of Maui are strongly discouraged."
Access open through Waiheʻe for West Maui residents only.
Travel into West Maui on Honoapi’ilani Highway through Māʻalaea is limited to emergency operations only. (Aug. 12, 2023).
Updated on Tuesday morning, 15 August 2023
The fire in Lahaina was 85% contained.
The fire in northern Maui was 65% contained.
The fire in Pulehu/Kihei is almost completely contained, but has not yet been extinguished.
Tourists are advised to refrain from traveling to Maui unless absolutely necessary.
Kahului Airport on Maui remains open. We recommend that you check with your airlines for possible changes in the schedule.
The danger (at the time of writing) does not apply to other islands of the Hawaiian archipelago.
You can go on vacation to the Big Island or Oahu. We are confident that the wildfire emergency will end soon.
Posted August 24, 2023. Hospitality officials say hotels and resorts unaffected by wildfires remain open and ready to welcome guests. Cities such as Kihei, Wailea, Kahului and Paya are open. The mass refusal of tourists to travel to Maui could create additional problems for local businesses. For now, tourists are advised to stay away from Lahaina.
Perhaps it would be better to postpone the trip for a few months or go to another island?
Tourists are hardly at risk. But, in our opinion, now is not the best time to travel to the island of Maui. Probably vacationers should choose another island as their island destination or postpone their trip.
Follow the official news. As soon as the situation returns to normal, it will be possible to plan a trip to Maui again. In the meantime, maybe you should consider Oahu or the Big Island as your destination.
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