Maui fire survivors struggle to find long-term housing, half a year after the blazes
On a sunny weekend afternoon on Maui, the Souza family has given up on getting their kids to nap. Parents Arica and Matthew have their hands full as Silas, 4, and Ayla, 3, greet us at the door excitedly. Ayla is fussing to put on her shiny pink party shoes. Silas is running around looking for his iPad.
The Souzas are living temporarily in Kihei, about a 45-minute drive from Lahaina, where they lost their townhome in the August 8th wildfires. This house belongs to Matthew's grandmother, who is in a hospice facility. Relatives offered the space on a short-term basis so the Souzas could have some stability while they navigate what's next for their burned-out property, and their growing family. The couple is expecting a third child this month.
"We don't even really know how long we're going to be here for," says Matthew.
They expect this house to be put on the market soon and they still don't know what's next for them.
"We've made a plan B, C, D – we're not sure," Arica says.
Six months after, the Souzas, like thousands of other displaced families, are trying to navigate a complicated disaster recovery process amidst a that pre-existed the fires, but has been worsened by them. There to accommodate the need, and now people are trying to figure out how to stay on Maui in difficult circumstances. It's taking a serious emotional toll, on top of the trauma of the fires themselves.
