‘We love you’: Paddle out off West Maui commemorates 1-year anniversary of Lahaina wildfires
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hundreds gathered at Hanaka’ō'ō Beach Park in Lahaina on Thursday to mourn the lives lost and celebrate the town’s resiliency.
Locals know it as canoe beach.
Music is playing; people smile, laugh, cry, and spend much-needed time together.
Earlier Thursday, several hundred people on boats and boards came together to mourn what happened in Lahaina on Aug. 8, one year ago.
WATCH: HNN’s special coverage of 1-year anniversary of Maui wildfires disaster
The inferno that claimed the lives of 102 people and incinerated the beloved town of Lahaina.
Vanessa Keau said it was important for her to participate in this paddle out to honor her mother, who died in the fire 83-year-old Gwendolyn “Kanani” Puou.
“Mom, I love you. We have you in our hearts. We love you forever. I love you,” Keau said.
Boat Captain Keone Laepaa with Makena Coast Charters said his emotions are still raw one year later.
MAUI WILDFIRES DISASTER: ONE YEAR LATER
“We were running supplies the very next day, and almost all of us who could chip in, we chipped in as much as we could,” Keone Laepaa/Makena Coast Charters Boat Captain said.
At the end of the paddle out, there was a flower drop before everyone paddled back to shore.
Aside from hundreds out in the water, hundreds more watched from shore.
Despite the immense sadness that comes with this day, many people cheered and celebrated the resilience of the Maui people.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
