Meet the Pennsylvania natives helping heal and rebuild Maui community 1 year after historic wildfires
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- On Aug. 8, 2023, more than 100 people were killed on the Hawaiian island of Maui in what would become the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history.
More than 14,000 residents lost their homes, and the entire town of Lahaina was destroyed. While most of the debris has been removed, the fire continues to take a toll on the island.
CBS News Philadelphia was the only station from our region to cover the fires in Maui.
Pennsylvania native and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green graduated from Swarthmore College and went to medical school at Penn State.
Speaking with CBS News Philadelphia from his office in Hawaii, Green said residents are healing, and starting to rebuild.
"We're making incredible progress," he said. "A lot of people tell me we're three or four years ahead of what other states were as far as doing this. We wanted to do that because it's so difficult. If a person relocates to the mainland, it's difficult to ever come back, so we felt we had to expedite everything."
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has not released its report on the wildfires' origin and cause, but officials say the flames were largely fueled by non-native grasses.
"The amount of grasses that were out there on unkempt lands really fueled the fire," Green said. "So we're doing that. We're also fortifying that new law with a lot of extra firebreak roads. I have our Department of Transportation cutting all sorts of firebreak. We put technology also in and around all of these places so that there's extra sensors and weather monitors all over the place in, not just West Maui, but all the different hotspots in Hawaii."
Lower Merion native Ben Shank is the general manager of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. His team quickly mobilized to assist Maui residents.
"Our entire ballroom was set up," Shank said. "Half of it was for food supplies that employees could bring home and give to family members or neighbors or anybody that needed it. The other side of our ballroom was actually running laundry for shelters. We housed residents here, first responders, health care workers. Then as the island started to stabilize, everyone was able to get into longer-term housing and so forth."
Shank, who led the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, said the wildfires dealt a multibillion-dollar blow to Maui's economy.
"The biggest way that someone can support the island and the overall community is actually by coming and traveling here," Shank said. "We're encouraging tourists to explore everything both on the resort, but in the local community. We're encouraging eat in local restaurants, shop at different art galleries, do different excursions."
Green is also encouraging visitors to come back to Maui.
"Come and be a part of Hawaii," he said, "Come help us heal."