Wildfires have devastated the island of Maui in Hawaii this week, with at least 55 killed and with 3,000 or more homes in Lahaina destroyed.
With years of rebuilding ahead of the community, at least one structure was spared from the devastation: the Lahaina Swim Club.
In the video below, provided by SwimSwam contributing photographer Jon Reiter from a helicopter flyover, the Lahaina Swim Club appears to be untouched, even as homes surrounding it have been reduced to ash. That includes the home of some of swimmers, like San Diego State alum Lexi Anderson, whose family house was completely gone.
Reiter donated photographs as part of the Prints for Maui project, where 100% of all proceeds for photographs sold go to helping Maui recover.
Six wildfires are currently burning on the island of Maui, though the Lahaina fire is reportedly 80% contained. The fires destroyed many of the community’s landmarks, including the Waiola Church, which celebrated its 200th anniversary this year and has served as a community meeting place for centuries. Lahaina, with a population of around 13,000, was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845, and it is reported that many early Hawaiian royals were buried there.
The Pioneer Inn, the oldest hotel on Maui, and the Pūnana Leo school, a Hawaiian cultural immersion school, were also destroyed.
The fires began when Hurricane Dora, a Category 5 storm, blew by the island. Firefighters and others faced challenges with the initial fires because the storm also knocked out most telecommunications on the island. Among the harrowing stories from the fires include a number of people reportedly escaping by going into the ocean.
Lahaina Swim Club is lead by Tom Popdan, who has been with the program for almost 30 years – since 1995. The club recently placed 3rd in the Hawaii Age Group Swimming Championships,
How can we help them?
There are many GoFundMe pages. I’m even taking donations to give to the swim families and the shelters. This is a great place to donate as well. If you want specific GoFundMe pages for swimmers, let me know. http://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong
What a relief that ANYTHING was spared, from one of the most tragic conflagrations anywhere in Hawai’i. Hoping that rebuilding and reforesting occurs quickly and safely, and the area be spared from future destruction…
I live Maui during the winter. The pool may be intact (so great), but the team will be scattered from intact parts of Maui to the mainland. The town will take many years to rebuild, assuming issues like location and retreat from a rising sea, building codes, and cost can be solved. A likely scenario is vacation resorts and mansions. A swim team might be years away.