Last week, devastating wildfires wreaked havoc on various parts of Maui, Hawaii, leaving businesses and homes destroyed. Nicole Pape, a resident of Reno, Nevada, shares her harrowing experience of being stuck in Maui for nine days alongside her family, as told to reporter Lloyd Lee.
Growing up, Maui was always Nicole’s go-to destination. Although she has visited other islands in Hawaii, her parents have always taken her to the Kapalua and Kaanapali areas of Maui. When planning their first big family trip, Nicole wanted to provide the same experience for her 6-year-old son, Miko.
The family embarked on a nine-day vacation, celebrating Nicole’s husband Thomas’ 37th birthday and their eighth wedding anniversary. It was an expensive trip that they had been saving for, and they were eagerly looking forward to it.
They arrived in Maui on August 4th and settled in a condo at the Kapalua Bay Villas. The first two days were blissful, filled with activities like shopping, visiting the Maui Ocean Center, and enjoying meals at local restaurants. Everything seemed perfect.
However, on Monday night, the winds started to pick up strength. While Nicole’s phone claimed it was just normal winds, living in Reno, Nevada, she knew it didn’t feel right. The winds were consistent, forceful, and unrelenting.
By Tuesday morning, the power went out, and Nicole’s husband fell ill with food poisoning. She ventured out to the market to get some food but found all the establishments closed. Panic started to set in as they realized there was no place to eat and essential supplies were running low.
The only option seemed to be a little general store at The Ritz-Carlton, where they could buy basic food items like eggs or milk. However, when Nicole finally reached the store after waiting in line for an hour and 20 minutes, the power shut off, rendering their order useless. The store workers, feeling sorry for her, told her to take items from the front counter instead.
As the days went on, the power outage continued, forcing them to cancel their dinner reservation at The Banyan Tree for their anniversary. Disappointed, they remained hopeful, believing they would find a way to make the best of the situation.
Nicole reached out to her parents, who advised her to visit Lahaina, where they could have a drink at Fleetwood’s on Front Street. Little did they know that just 10 miles south of their location, an unprecedented disaster was unfolding.
Wednesday morning arrived, and Nicole woke up determined to find out what was happening. With no power, no cell service, and no information on the radio, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands. She decided to drive to the Nāpili Market, where she witnessed hundreds of people waiting in line for groceries. The atmosphere was tense, and rumors of a massive fire in Lahaina began to circulate.
An emotional young man, appearing to be around 20 years old and barefoot, came forward, sharing firsthand information about the destruction in Lahaina. Safeway market had burned down, and people had lost their homes. The severity of the situation hit Nicole like a ton of bricks.
Feeling isolated and cut off from the world, Nicole realized they were facing challenges they never anticipated. They couldn’t get gas because the pumps relied on electricity. She began strategizing what non-perishable food items they should stock up on. Inside the dark and cash-only Nāpili Market, she spent $80 on essential supplies but had to leave behind some items due to the inflated prices.
When she returned to her husband and son at the beach, she shared the heartbreaking stories of people they encountered who had lost everything. The lack of communication from authorities and delayed information made them feel even more hopeless. They managed to get limited cell service by hiking up a hill, connecting to a tower on Moloka’i, another island.
Eventually, through delayed messages from her parents, Nicole learned about buses evacuating tourists. However, due to the information blackout, they missed the opportunity, receiving the notice a day after it was relevant.
The situation in Maui was dire, and the impact of the wildfires was far more severe than anyone initially realized. Nicole and her family were left to face the uncertainty, relying on each other for support and finding ways to survive until they could safely return home.
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