Maui, recently hit by deadly wildfires, should be a must-visit for vacation planners. In this way they will help support the local economy as unemployment claims are increasing on the island and the local economy will have to survive before it can start to flourish.
With an official death toll of 115, while the list of officially missing shows at least 388, numbers that show the enormity of the tragedy, it is an “obligation” for people planning vacations to choose to do it in Maui.
West Maui will be closed to visitors until at least Oct. 17 as search and recovery efforts continue in the devastated town of Lahaina, according to Gov. Josh Green’s latest emergency declaration.
For the above reasons tourists should visit all other areas of Maui to help support the local economy reeling from the devastation caused by the fires. The affected area is limited to West Maui and the rest of the island and state are safe.
Senator Brian Satz said unpaid leaves and layoffs are starting to increase because people believe the entire island is unvisitable.
Jobless claims on Maui have jumped from 130 just before the fires to 4,449 last week, according to data from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Multi-billion dollar losses
In addition to the dozens or even hundreds of dead, the region is also counting billions of dollars in property damage in the wake of the deadliest fires in the US in more than a century and the worst disaster in the history of the state of Hawaii.
Moody’s estimated this week that the fires have caused between $4 billion and $6 billion in economic losses. The estimate is likely low because it focuses on damage to the island’s physical infrastructure.
The same report notes that insurers are expected to cover most of the damage, about 75 percent or more, because fires are covered under standard policies and Hawaii has a high level of insurance coverage.
