Poverty in Lahaina has doubled after 2023 wildfire: ‘We’re cutting down on what we eat’

Maui, struck by one of the deadliest blazes in modern US history, has seen tourism drop, a shortage of houses and persistent inflation

Janssen Vergara, 35, couldn't wait to rebuild the three-bedroom house she owned in west Maui before it burned down in last year's historic wildfire. She had been granted a building permit and the burn zone had been cleared for construction.

But as the months passed, rebuilding came to feel more and more out of reach.