In the early morning of August 8, 2023, Angela Joy Almeron woke up excited in her Lahaina home. She was about to move to Oʻahu to start her first semester as a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student. It was a moment she had worked toward for many years—after graduating from Lahainaluna High School in 2022, she took a gap year to earn money for college.
Little did she know what was to come for her beloved West Maui hometown. That afternoon, terror struck her family as it did with many residents in the area.
“My dad called around 4 p.m. and he sounded genuinely scared. His voice was shaking when he was saying he ‘wouldn’t be able to save any of our things. The house was too hot, the fire was moving too quickly,’” Almeron said. “It was a relief that he was able to evacuate, but was only able to bring two to three clothes and one of the important documents, but the rest of the important things that he couldn’t find in a short amount of time, he just left it there.”
Almeron and her mom were already on Oʻahu, moving into her apartment near the Mānoa campus. Earlier that morning, prior to boarding her flight at the Kahului Airport, winds had been whipping, and power lines had fallen.
Fortunately, her dad was able to evacuate safely to Wailuku. But she was still worried about the rest of her family and friends.
“I was unable to get a hold of them because the cell service was down,” she said. “I was active on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, anywhere that I could find news or updates in any way possible. It was pretty terrifying just looking at the videos. I even saw one of the videos where my house was on fire… I lost everything there. I just wanted all of my friends and family to be safe. That was my main concern.”
After the hours and days went by, Almeron received word that her other family members were safe. Their homes were in an unaffected area near Lahainaluna High and Middle Schools, and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School. Almeron also heard stories from her friends who were among the people who jumped in the ocean off of Front Street to avoid the flames closing in on the shoreline.
“They also told me how they saw stores were exploding one after the other, cars exploding one after the other. It was just a crazy and terrifying experience for them. One of my friends got a little bit injured from the embers of the fire, but right now they’re safe. They were in a shelter and were able to get food and water,” Almeron said.
Though most of her possessions can be replaced, there is one that Almeron won’t be able to get back: her photo album that includes her baby pictures, her parents during their teenage years, their wedding and a few of their baby pictures as well.
Steadfast in her education, heart remains with Lahaina
While Almeron contemplated returning home to Lahaina to support her family, she had their blessing to stay focused and was determined to start her college career. Almeron is currently majoring in information and computer sciences (ICS) in the UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences. Along with her studies, she is involved in multiple organizations, including SWITCH (Supporting Women in Technology Computing Hawaiʻi), PANDA (Programming and Algorithms) and Game Dev.
“I do admit. I wasn’t myself and my mind was all over the place the first few weeks of the semester,” Almeron said. “But at the end of that phase I just decided to suck it up and make the best out of it because it’s my first ever semester and year, and something that I’ve worked so hard for.”
More on how to help Maui ʻohana and the Maui wildfires.
Almeron leaned on the support from her fellow peers, faculty and staff, including ICS Academic Advisor Marilou Matsuura.
“Angela was one of the first students I advised when starting as an ICS advisor this past summer,” Matsuura said. “From the start, she was focused and determined in excelling in her academics. This past August, I finally met her in person, and she unfortunately shared the tragic news of losing her family home. Despite this unimaginable loss, she remains positive and enthusiastic about her time here at Mānoa. I have no doubt she’ll succeed in all her goals and will be an important part to rebuilding her hometown, Lahaina.”
Finding a way to move forward
In the coming semesters at UH Mānoa, Almeron hopes to narrow down her career interests and apply for internships.
Almeron returned to Maui to spend winter break with her parents and family. They are currently staying in a hotel in Kāʻanapali. It was just the second time she returned to the Valley Isle since the fire—the first was shortly after fall midterms.
“The first time that I visited here after what happened, I hadn’t even landed and I just started tearing up seeing Lahaina completely burned. It was just crazy,” Almeron said. “Everything is lost. All of my favorite restaurants are gone. All of my favorite hangout places are gone, which includes the Lahaina Harbor, Outlets of Maui and the banyan tree.”
She loves the Lahaina and Maui community. While Lahaina residents have received an outpouring of support from people in Hawaiʻi and around the world, she said more is still needed to help families recover.
“I’d like to emphasize for students or whoever sees this to keep offering support in some way to Maui,” Almeron said. “Many of the residents who were affected by the Lahaina fire still don’t have a home, there were many tents or homeless people if you were to walk from Whalers Village to Black Rock or nearby hotels. There are also fewer donations such as food and water being distributed.”
