From Lahaina to Oahu’s North Shore, here’s where recovery stands and how travelers can visit respectfully while supporting local businesses.Show Caption
Recent disasters, including the 2023 Lahaina wildfire and 2026 floods on Oahu, have devastated communities on Maui and Oahu.The state's tourism-dependent economy has suffered as visitor numbers dropped following the events.Travelers are encouraged to mindfully visit and support local businesses to aid in the economic and community recovery."Coming Back" is a USA TODAY series spotlighting destinations that are ready to welcome visitors in the aftermath of hardship.HAWAII — To most travelers, Hawaii is paradise. This perennial destination draws visitors eager to experience its stunning beaches, cascading waterfalls, and rich culture, guided by the warmth of aloha.However, it's been a different reality for many of the islands' residents."At the beginning, I was hoping that recovery would be a little quicker," said Ronald Williams, a Maui business owner who lost nearly everything in the 2023 wildfires that decimated the town of Lahaina overnight. "We tried everything possible. But unfortunately, everything ... started to take its toll on the company ... It's been a hard journey, it's been a long time."The last three years have brought two historic disasters to the islands of Oahu and Maui. On Aug. 8, 2023, downed power lines sparked wildfires that burned homes, businesses and cultural sites to the ground in Lahaina. It marked the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.This past March, a series of Kona low storms (low-pressure systems) slammed into the state with torrential rain and high winds. Over 14 days, more than two trillion gallons of water deluged the islands in what University of Hawaii researchers called a "rain bomb." Authorities echoed it as the worst flooding in two decades, hitting Oahu's North Shore communities Haleiwa and Waialua especially hard. Thousands were evacuated due to the threat of a dam break, while others were trapped by flooded roads, and nearly 400 homes were submerged.Reaching a place of healing for these two islands has been a tricky balancing act between their heavy dependence on tourism and their grief over what was lost.Nearly a quarter of Hawaii's economy is tourism, with Maui and Oahu the two most visited of the four main islands. In 2024, the sector supported 211,000 jobs and generated $20.72 billion in visitor spending, driven by over 9.7 million tourist arrivals statewide, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The state recently launched a $2 million initiative to educate and encourage travel to Hawaii this summer.In the aftermath of these events, travelers were uncertain whether it was appropriate to visit and whether doing so would cause more harm to a community already in crisis. Visitor arrivals to Oahu in March dropped 1.7% compared with the same month last year due to cancellations and closures. Maui has seen steady recovery in visitor arrivals, with a 7% increase in 2025 compared with 2024, but remains below 2023 levels.Welcoming back travelers is a critical part of the future of the West Maui and North Shore towns.Visitors are asked to be mindful of the loss and support the local businesses that make up the heart of these communities. Meanwhile, the impacts of their tourist dollars run much deeper than just economic."Through this whole thing, you only think about how to survive it, but your dreams got washed away," said Williams. "So, by reopening again, now we can dream again about, you know, kids having a great education, doing what they want to do, not worrying about paying your bills and stuff."'A hard journey' on MauiIt's been nearly three years since the wildfires, but Lahaina is still rebuilding, both physically and emotionally. Although major strides have been made, progress doesn't fully relieve the psychological toll of the fires. A University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) survey from January 2024 and February 2025 found higher risks of depression and anxiety among burn zone residents.Still, the community celebrates the milestones.As of June, over 200 homes have been rebuilt, including an affordable housing complex, with 355 additional building permits for residential and commercial structures in the process.More businesses and areas are open, but some roads and parts of town remain closed to the public.And there's more to come, with a master plan to restore Lahaina's historic Royal Complex – "a deeply sacred area in the heart of Lahaina" that was once the political capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom – in development. Community members have been asked to weigh in on the plan, expected to be finalized in the summer of 2027. Last December, Lahaina Harbor – an anchor for the community – started its phased reopening, with full capacity expected after 2026.This was monumental for Williams, whose business, Atlantis Submarines Hawaii, operated out of the harbor since 1991, taking guests on underwater tours of Maui's offshore waters. In the fires, the company lost three offices, a pier slip, a submarine, a tugboat and tragically, an employee.At first, Williams kept as many employees on payroll as possible, even sending some to other locations on Oahu and Hawaii Island, but it became too difficult financially. He was eventually forced to furlough everyone.Others in the hospitality industry felt a similar pressure. In June 2024, Maui County was down 6,300 jobs from July 2023, with over half of those in the hospitality industry. That loss of income and housing has left lasting impacts on Lahaina residents, with 42.6% of those who lived in the burn zone still displaced from their home and the area as of March – an improvement of less than 1% from March 2025, according to UHERO.In late February, Atlantis Submarines was finally able to start operating at limited capacity out of the harbor, after ensuring the decision was "respectful to everyone," said Williams. Reception has been positive so far, from both travelers and community members, and the majority of his employees have returned."We're not fully open from a perspective of how we operate, but I mean, we're able to provide jobs, and we're able to provide income to the company," he said. "So it's on that road, it's really nice."'It keeps people away'Born and raised on Oahu's North Shore, Pono Choy remembers waking up at 3 a.m. that March morning and being told his family had to evacuate their home to the nearby high school. The rivers by his house had flooded over. As soon as the road reopened, he went back to find his studio that's rented to a tenant a foot underwater. His own house flooded by a couple of inches."It was very surreal," said the project superintendent for Hensel Phelps Construction. "Of course, some people, they lost everything. It was so crazy, no one really knew what was going on and how bad it was here or there."North Shore residents immediately leaped into action, helping their neighbors who were trapped, and cleaning out homes swamped in mud and clearing debris. "I think North Shore is a very community-based, you know, like help-your-neighbor kind of a deal," Choy said.Through word of mouth, a wife of Choy's coworker, who is "super tapped into" the community, began compiling a list of North Shore residents whose homes were damaged and didn't know next steps. One family had nearly 6 feet of water flood their house. In response, Choy coordinated with Hawaii Rep. Sean Quinlan to create a volunteer Hensel Phelps team who met with and helped households rebuild, whether providing resources or construction services.Since the floods, Choy's team has assisted around 10 North Shore families, and continues to meet with more. While much of North Shore has since reopened, there's still work to be done, including home construction, road work and dredging the rivers. "I don't think we're back to normal by any means," said Choy.Like on Maui after the wildfires, many travelers have withheld from visiting the North Shore. Sometimes, information has been convoluted on what's open and welcoming visitors.The heavy rains had stripped vegetation, leading to rockfalls on the only road in and out of the deeper North Shore, Kamehameha Highway. Closures and contraflow have led to traffic, with roadwork set to be completed by the end of July. This main stretch of highway runs through Waimea Valley, a sacred site and popular attraction where visitors can learn more about Hawaiian culture and nature. The valley only had to shut down for one day to clear debris from the storms, but has experienced a drop of up to 30% in visitors compared with the same time last year, according to Richard Pezzulo, executive director of Waimea Valley."I think it's not only the fact that they're contra-flowing, (but) it's the fact that the word gets out that there was a landslide, rocks came down, and they're contra-flowing," said Pezzulo. "I think it keeps people away."A drop in visitors has reverberating effects throughout the entire North Shore. At Waimea Valley alone are 200 employees, from the food service workers to the luau dancers and the lifeguards. In an April survey by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, nearly half of 41 North Shore businesses who participated said they've lost more than 75% of their usual revenue."Many of those areas, they're still recovering ... they should just be left to their recovery and the continued support they're getting," Pezzulo added. "But I would say that life is on the main stretch of Kamehameha Highway is back to normal and needing people to come and support businesses."Tips to support recovery in HawaiiIf you're staying in Waikiki this summer, the Hawaiian Council, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and E Noa Tours have partnered to launch a roundtrip shuttle to the North Shore to bring patrons to struggling businesses, called North Shore Huakai. The cost is $5 for non-residents, and riders must show a receipt from a participating business to reboard. The shuttle runs until Sept. 26.One of the most impactful ways tourists can support Hawaii right now is to directly support local businesses. To find which have reopened and need support, check out online resources such as What's Open Maui and the Go Hawaii website.As Pezzulo put it, there are still parts of Lahaina and the North Shore that are in slower recovery. If you see homes under construction or signs prohibiting the public from entering, be respectful and give these residents space.Kathleen Wong is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY. She's the author of "The Conscious Traveller Hawai'i" and is based in Hawaii.
