Zoe Chesson was born and raised in Lahaina. Together with her husband and their two children, they built a life rooted in community. But after the Lahaina wildfire, everything was thrown into chaos. “We’ve had a lot of transition since the fire. We lived in a lot of different spaces.” Displaced, the family ended up on the Big Island — the only place they could find a rental that would accept kids and a dog. It worked, for a while. But it came at a cost: her husband was flying back to Maui every week for work, while Zoe juggled parenting on her own. “When we found out we had the opportunity to move back in here, we were super excited… being able to be back on this side brought us back together.” At Ka La‘i Ola, the family found what had been missing for so long: time with each other, connection, and something that felt like home. “The way they set the pods up where there’s a pod of 10 or 12 units together has kind of created this little neighborhood community. There’s so many kids through here… They made friends so quickly.” Zoe sees it in the little things — the garden she’s managed to keep alive, the kids knocking on the door asking to play, neighbors sharing groceries and vegetables just because they were thinking of each other. “I feel super safe and I’m grateful for that. Our neighbors have been amazing.” Zoe and her family are still recovering. There are still questions about what comes next — about rent, school zoning, homeownership. But here, in this space, there is peace. “After all of this, we’re all kind of operating in this weird fight or flight. Having that time together brings you back to being present.” “People are still working through it, like we all are in our own way. Just continue to give people grace.”
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MEMA Alert: EVACUATION ORDER on Maui Island for MM24 in Kahikinui due to a Brush Fire. Grab your "go kits" and evacuate your family and pets now!
This is an emergency evacuation order. Leave immediately! There is a dangerous threat to life and property. All homes head makai (ocean) of the highway for evacuations. Expect road closures on Kula side to Hana side of these zones.
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