August 8, 2023: a day that will be forever remembered in infamy in Hawai’i. August 8th is a memorable day for our family as well. August 8, 2018, HECO (Hawaiian Electric Co.) recruited me to O’ahu from Kaua’i. Was a confused emotional day. Never had been a fan of dirty, crowded and industrial O’ahu. With heavy heart I left the stunning beauty of the rural Garden Island. HECO needed me. My skills filled a huge professional gap in their IT department, and HECO’s financial offer was impossible to reject. I said a sincere prayer of thanks to Tūtū Pele upon arrival at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Within 90 days, I had become HECO’s Top IT Performer:
YOU have been a great asset to our team and it is your personality and humble nature that makes all of us so comfortable working together. We have had contractors on the DBA team before, but never with the synergy and positive energy that you bring with you. I believe you have had the greatest influence in our success and glad that we selected the right contractor. You have definitely made your mark here at HECO and have set the bar very high for future contractors!
Thank you for being you…keep doing what you do…keep that good karma flowing!
Lori Yafuso, HECO IT Department Manager, November 13 2018
HECO fired me three months later. Although the HECO staff with whom I had served were outstanding and dedicated professionals, I learned HECO management was incompetent and cruel. Notified locals about SR management. Others joined me. Together we WARNED LOCALS and OFFICIALS about incompetent HECO management.
SEE: Cruelty and Incompetence Characterize Hawaiian Electric Management
And, on August 8, 2023, HECO incinerated Lāhainā. Electricity management across the nation had been warned about high winds and fire danger for years. The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California’s Butte County was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. Blaze began on the morning of November 8, 2018 when hardware on a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failed during strong katabatic winds.
SEE complete history: Lahaina Wildfires Similar to LA Fires
HECO SR management, such as Board President Connie Lau, apparently weren’t paying attention. Connie had been focused for nearly a decade on socially-engineering HECO. Energy utility personnel tend to be about 80% White males. Connie was pushing Asians, particularly Asian females, into the local industry. Her DEI priorities proved to be disastrous.
Although locals had been warned about the incompetence and corruption at HECO, most failed to heed the calls for change and greater oversight of the island’s largest electricity supplier. Few in Hawai’i remember the tragic collapse of PREPA in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Marie (2017). Similarly mismanaged as HECO, the hurricane killed less than 100 residents. PREPA’s electrical grid failure led to the deaths of over 3,000. Puerto Rico struggles still today.
And three years after the tragic wildfire on August 8, 2023, thousands of island residents continue to struggle. Pain of the Lāhainā disaster remains. No Hawaiian Electric personnel were fired. None went to jail. There were no apologies, as HECO CEO Shelee Kimura blamed others. Instead, HEI CEO Scott Seu and Kimura received fat raises! Hawaiian Electric senior managers were rewarded.
Governor Green posted about his actions to memorialize the dead and victim families on social media today. Green however PROTECTED HECO management after the disaster. They had donated to his 2022 campaign. Thus, no Hawaiian Electric executive was held accountable. Today, 102 bells toll for the lives lost in Lāhainā. Over 2,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, and more than 13,000+ residents left victimized.
Josh Green wrote, “we will never forget.” He’s correct. We will make sure locals and the world never forgets the incompetence, corruption and cruelty of the arrogant, uncaring and out-of-touch Hawaiian Electric management.
Today, we quietly gathered along the roadside memorials in Lāhainā to remember the 102 lives lost in the 2023 Maui wildfires.
Each cross, each photo and each name is a reminder that behind every loss is a beloved family member, friend and neighbor whose absence is still deeply felt today.
As we mark three years since that tragic day, we honor those we lost, stand with the survivors and families who continue to heal, and reaffirm our commitment to rebuilding Lāhainā with compassion, respect and aloha. We will never forget.
Hawai’i Governor Josh Green, August 8 2026
All smiles from the giddy, unscrupulous governor and crew from PacWhale Eco-Adventures. Solemn observation of our dead family members and victims would be more appropriate. [source]
I’ve collected a handful of memorial posts today from social media that remember lives lost, victims, the horror of the tragic incident, and heroic collective local response to provide aide and comfort to the Lāhainā community. I witnessed little aloha in the ranks of government and senior management. The aloha, love, compassion and community efforts from local islanders is unmatched elsewhere in the world. Mahalo to all who stepped up when government and industry failed us in biblical fashion.
One leading local newspaper, StarAdvertiser, known for backing industry and conservative government, said nothing about the tragedy, but did post an article praising HEI’s $123 MILLION in profits — profits over people!
Liberal, progressive CivilBeat headlined with a photo feature of Lāhainā’s Recovery in Pictures.
Nalus South Shore Grill
A day to reflect on the past and look to the future. On August 8, 2023, wildfires swept through Maui, devastating the historic town of Lāhainā. The loss of cherished members of our community is still deeply felt, and the memory of that day remains in our hearts. [source]
Whalers Village
Today, we pause to remember. Three years after the Maui wildfires, we honor the lives forever changed, remember those we lost, and hold in our hearts all who continue to heal.
We are deeply grateful for the strength, compassion, and resilience that continue to define Maui. As we reflect today, we stand with our community in remembrance and aloha. Maui Strong [source]
Gemini Sailing Charters
Today marks three years since the Lāhainā fires. August 8th is a day our community will never forget. A day of heartbreak, loss, and unimaginable devastation, but also a reminder of the incredible strength and compassion of the Lāhainā community.
In the face of so much loss, people came together to support one another, lend a helping hand, and show what it truly means to be a community. Three years later, we continue to remember those we lost, honor those who were impacted, and hold Lāhainā close to our hearts.
We are, and always will be, Lāhainā Strong. [source]
Lāhainā Restoration Foundation
Remembering Lāhainā everyday ❤️ The lives, the places, the memories and the community we hold close today and always. Three years later, we remain committed to caring for Lāhainā’s history, its stories, and the places that connect generations past, present, and future.
Lāhainā will always be home. We remember, we honor, and we continue moving forward together. [source]
Trilogy Excursions
Three years ago, our Lāhainā community was forever changed. August 8 will always be a day to remember those we lost, to hold close the families and friends who continue to carry that loss, and to reflect on all that our Lāhainā community has endured.
Three years later, we’re also holding space for something that has grown alongside that remembrance: hope.
This past year has brought moments of progress that have meant so much to our Trilogy ʻohana: gathering with our community in Lāhainā, standing together on Front Street, seeing Lāhainā Harbor reopen, and blessing our new Trilogy VI. After losing her predecessor in the fire, watching a Trilogy VI sail out of Lāhainā Harbor once again was a moment we’ll never forget.
Each of these moments has reminded us that while there is still a long road ahead, there is also so much to be grateful for — and so much to look forward to together.
There is still much work to be done, and we know that recovery looks and feels different for everyone. But we’re grateful for the progress happening around us and, even more so, for the people behind it: the families, community members, organizations, businesses, and leaders who continue to show up for Lāhainā.
Looking through these photos, we’re reminded of where we’ve been, how much has changed, and how meaningful it is to be moving forward together.
Lāhainā has been home to Trilogy for generations. We love this community deeply, and we’re grateful to be part of its future. [source]
Mala Tavern
August 8th is a day we will always remember 🤍 Today, we honor the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the strength of the Lahaina community. We remember the places and people that made Lahaina home, and we hold close the spirit of aloha that continues to bring our community together.
Our hearts are with everyone who continues to heal, rebuild, remember, and carry Lahaina forward. To our local ʻohana, thank you for continuing to support and stand with our community. As always, kamaʻāina receive 20% off every day at both Māla Ocean Tavern and Coco Deck – our small way of saying mahalo to the community we’re proud to be part of.
Today, we remember. And as we look toward the year ahead, we do so with gratitude, love, and hope for Lāhainā. [source]
Napili Farmers Market
Three years. August 8, 2023. ❤️🩹
Today we remember the lives lost in the Lāhainā wildfire and hold close every person, family, and community member whose life was forever changed.
Three years later, the grief remains. The love remains. And so does the strength, courage, and deep connection of this community.
Recovery is not measured only by what has been rebuilt. It is also carried in the people, the relationships, the memories, the culture, and the enduring love for Lāhainā.
May we continue to honor those we lost, care for those still healing, and stand together for the future of Lāhainā.
We remember. We honor. We carry Lāhainā in our hearts. ❤️ [source]
Old Lahaina Luau
Today, we pause to remember. Old Lāhainā Lūʻau will be closed today, August 8, in observance of Community Remembrance Day, giving our ʻohana time to be with their loved ones as we honor and remember Lāhainā.
We will reopen tomorrow, August 9.
With aloha, always. ❤️ [source]
Tomorrow we push on. Today, we remember the lost lives and victims of Hawaii’s worst human-caused disaster.
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