The devastating wildfire that swept through Lahaina, west Maui, on August 8, not only claimed lives and destroyed homes but also left deep emotional scars on survivors, especially the youth.

Maryann Kobatake, a resident of Lahaina and of Native Hawaiian descent, shared her nephew’s harrowing experience. He played a crucial role in evacuating a friend’s grandmother and cousins during the blaze. While escaping the inferno on Front Street, the town’s main thoroughfare, he was exposed to horrific scenes.

“I don’t think he wants to relive it by talking,” Kobatake revealed to The Guardian. She expressed concern that her nephew’s tendency to bottle up his emotions might leave him ill-equipped to deal with potential PTSD triggers, especially since he has to pass the now-ravaged town daily.

The wildfire, the deadliest in modern US history, killed 100 people and displaced 11,000, turning Lahaina’s vibrant Front Street into a landscape of charred ruins and palm trees.

Survivors compared the scene to Pompeii, with melting cars and bodies in trees. The trauma and stress of losing homes and living in temporary shelters pose significant mental health risks for children and adolescents, who experience grief more intensely than adults.

Since schools reopened in mid-October, the Maui county certified community behavioral health clinic has seen an influx of parents seeking help for their children.

John Oliver, the clinic’s director, noted that the greatest challenges for these children post-fire are instability, loss, and fear of the unknown, potentially leading to depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of substance abuse.

“If a child loses someone in a different situation, the parents can be a pillar of support,” Oliver said. “But right now they’re grieving alongside their kids too.”

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Kobatake’s nephew, a high school football player, is among three teenagers staying with her and her husband in a temporary home arranged by the Red Cross. She observed that the boys have firmly bottled up their feelings since the tragedy.

“If nothing triggers a reaction for them to cry,” she shared with The Guardian, “it’s going to happen during their graduation next year.”

Kobatake herself declined counseling from a Red Cross volunteer, not due to a lack of struggle, but because of her preoccupation with finding long-term shelter for her family.

The return of tourism to the area, she noted, is hampering her healing process. “There’s a lot of anger, a lot of stress, because we were forced to accommodate these tourists even though we lost everything,” she explained.

Miguel Ceballos, a father of four, echoed these sentiments, highlighting housing insecurity as his primary concern. Since the fire, his family has been displaced multiple times.

The frequent moves have affected his children in different ways, with some losing interest in school and others becoming withdrawn.

Through counseling, Ceballos is learning to communicate his own feelings of loss to his children.

“I’m learning to let them know I’m mourning and hurting as well so they don’t bottle it up,” he said to the Guardian. “It’s so important not only for the children but also us.”

In an attempt to maintain some semblance of normalcy, he and his wife have adopted a strategy of treating their constant relocations as an adventure, but the uncertainty remains.

Skye Horie, a therapist at Play Therapy Maui, emphasized the trauma young people face due to constant movement and lack of permanent housing. She advises parents to openly discuss the fire and its impacts to model healthy coping behaviors.

There are also systemic issues impeding recovery. A distrust of government and the prioritization of tourism over survivor needs have hindered people from seeking available care.

Oliver, a member of the behavioral health clinic in Lahaina, pointed out the frustration of dealing with government agencies like FEMA and the Red Cross, and the barriers of medical bills and transportation to services. “People need more transparency in what is happening to them because everything feels so out of control,'” he stated.

Finding affordable housing is another serious issue for those displaced, especially those who worked in the tourist shops and restaurants that either burned down or had extensive damage, forcing the loss of jobs.

Renting an apartment in west Maui is like looking for a “needle in a haystack”. The market rent for a three-bedroom unit is at least $7,000, up to three times more than many paid prior to the fire, if you can find an apartment at all.

Ceballos, despite the odds, remains hopeful for the future. Returning to their burned apartment, he and his wife found a heart-shaped memorial glass for their deceased child, a poignant reminder of resilience and hope amidst loss.

“Things that remind us of where we come from also remind us that we will overcome,” Ceballos reflected.

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