Similar to droughts, I see wildfires not only have a environmental impact (due to destroyed trees and forests) but also have a negative impact on the economy and lively hood of the people living in the region impacted.
Wildfires severely diminish arable land and pasture space. And when available land to farm decreases, it has a debilitating effect on the agriculture sector of the economy in the afflicted region.
Likewise, when wildfires strike regions that are highly dependent on tourism, the area may face a decline in the number of visitors because they may be concerned about the air quality, safety, and closure of tourist attractions. Locals who living in an area can suffer significant drops in their standard of living as they are heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
Restoring the landscape to its original condition before the wildfire can take years and require considerable financial investments. This prolonged rehabilitation process may result in the permanent closure of local businesses that are reliant on outdoor recreational activities, which would have a further negative effect on the economy.
With this backdrop, I wanted to reflect today on the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic Lahaina fires in Maui. The fires were caused by a chain of adverse weather conditions, including hot weather, strong winds, and drought, all of which can be ascribed to climate change.
Lahaina had been experiencing a dry spell before the flames started. The drought had parched the grasslands and bushes, and this dry vegetation was primed and ready to be used as fuel.
On the day of the fire, the category 4 hurricane caused extremely high wind speeds and strong winds, knocking down the power lines which ultimately ignited the fire. Once the fire had begun, the dry grass served as a combustible fuel, and the high winds quickly spread the fires in Lahaina, culminating in one of the deadliest fires in modern U.S. history.
The Maui wildfire devastated the locals the most. As I reflect on the one-year anniversary of this event, I realize how, as tourists, we take the locals and their services for granted. We pay them and forget about them. When a disaster strikes, the tourists take the first flight out, leaving locals in places like Maui to fend for themselves.
Climate change will make such events more frequent. I can't fathom a Maui vacation without shaved ice, live ukulele music, and the friendly faces of the locals if they cannot overcome the adversities that have befallen them. Thus, the onus is on us, the tourists, to develop a durable bond beyond our visits by helping the locals when they need us the most.
References:
McAVOY, A., & Lin, M. (2024, August 9). Maui remembers the 102 lost in the Lahaina wildfire with a paddle out 1 year after devastating blaze | AP News. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/maui-hawaii-wildfire-anniversary-paddle-out-da5862aceca17fc2ca6f63ad26dddc05)
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