Aloha Community,
This is Kim Johnston,
TerryC Craven’s daughter. I am writing on behalf of my mom because internet access in Lahaina is not back up at the moment.
Our property management company has been in business for over 40 years and we are located on Maui in the Kapalua Resort where we manage 28 luxury villas. We are about a 15-minute drive away from Lahaina Town and we were very fortunate to not have been impacted by the fires. We are without strong cell phone service or internet access, but other than that the resort and our surrounding area looks as it always has.
Because of the devastating fires that destroyed Lahaina Town, we lost all of our bookings for August and are losing them into September and beyond. This is not the right time to host guests, but we hope that within the next few weeks to a month people will begin to return to our area of the island.
Because we are unsure what tourism will look like for us in the weeks and months to come, we want to be prepared and are looking at what our other options are to rent our villas. We want to know if you, or any of the partners you work with, can point us in the right direction.
-We have heard that FEMA may be a good option for possible short-term rentals for their employees who are helping in the recovery effort. We cannot host long-term rentals with FEMA, or any other organization. We have too many bookings into the future and that is not something many of our owners are willing to do. The max length of stay we are wanting would be no longer than a month at a time.
We are wondering what the pros and cons are when working with FEMA and if anyone has had any experience before. We have heard some horror stories, so want to hear other people’s experiences.
-We are also wanting to know if there are other groups or organizations that we should be reaching out to that may be on island helping in the recovery effort. These groups will need housing for their employees and we can offer them some of the best accommodations on Maui. Who are the best groups to deal with in times like these? We are looking for groups with honesty and integrity.
-We would love any contact names and phone numbers for any organization that you or other partners may have.
- So far, the state and county have not shut us down- but time will tell. If they shut down west Maui, residents will be beside themselves because they will be out of work. Do you have any tips in dealing with the government in times like these, and if that time comes do you know of any law firms that specialize in these types of situations? There is no reason why ALL of west Maui should be shut down, but the governor is considering it at this time.
-For future reference, is there any type of insurance out there for small businesses like ourselves that have lost revenue from natural disasters or a forced government shutdown?
Right now, the hotels are getting paid for housing the displaced fire victims, but short-term vacation rentals such as ourselves are not. Once again, the hotels are getting special treatment from our government. Some of our owners have been so gracious to house victims of the fire, but sadly we cannot afford to house everyone needing a place to stay free of charge.
We want to be proactive in looking at all of the different options to rent our villas during this very difficult time.
The reality is that the majority of people on Maui rely on tourism to support themselves. Our bookkeeper and three of our house keepers lost their homes and all that they own. They are desperate to start working again because it is the only way they can acquire the financial means necessary to rebuild their lives. They also want to work to help keep their minds off of things as they heal. It is a really tough situation. We care deeply about our community, owners and our staff, and want to ensure that we are doing all we can during this very difficult time.
Thank you so much!
Aloha,
Terry and Kim
This is Kim Johnston,
TerryC Craven’s daughter. I am writing on behalf of my mom because internet access in Lahaina is not back up at the moment. Our property management company has been in business for over 40 years and we are located on Maui in the Kapalua Resort where we manage 28 luxury villas. We are about a 15-minute drive away from Lahaina Town and we were very fortunate to not have been impacted by the fires. We are without strong cell phone service or internet access, but other than that the resort and our surrounding area looks as it always has.
Because of the devastating fires that destroyed Lahaina Town, we lost all of our bookings for August and are losing them into September and beyond. This is not the right time to host guests, but we hope that within the next few weeks to a month people will begin to return to our area of the island.
Because we are unsure what tourism will look like for us in the weeks and months to come, we want to be prepared and are looking at what our other options are to rent our villas. We want to know if you, or any of the partners you work with, can point us in the right direction.
-We have heard that FEMA may be a good option for possible short-term rentals for their employees who are helping in the recovery effort. We cannot host long-term rentals with FEMA, or any other organization. We have too many bookings into the future and that is not something many of our owners are willing to do. The max length of stay we are wanting would be no longer than a month at a time.
We are wondering what the pros and cons are when working with FEMA and if anyone has had any experience before. We have heard some horror stories, so want to hear other people’s experiences.
-We are also wanting to know if there are other groups or organizations that we should be reaching out to that may be on island helping in the recovery effort. These groups will need housing for their employees and we can offer them some of the best accommodations on Maui. Who are the best groups to deal with in times like these? We are looking for groups with honesty and integrity.
-We would love any contact names and phone numbers for any organization that you or other partners may have.
- So far, the state and county have not shut us down- but time will tell. If they shut down west Maui, residents will be beside themselves because they will be out of work. Do you have any tips in dealing with the government in times like these, and if that time comes do you know of any law firms that specialize in these types of situations? There is no reason why ALL of west Maui should be shut down, but the governor is considering it at this time.
-For future reference, is there any type of insurance out there for small businesses like ourselves that have lost revenue from natural disasters or a forced government shutdown?
Right now, the hotels are getting paid for housing the displaced fire victims, but short-term vacation rentals such as ourselves are not. Once again, the hotels are getting special treatment from our government. Some of our owners have been so gracious to house victims of the fire, but sadly we cannot afford to house everyone needing a place to stay free of charge.
We want to be proactive in looking at all of the different options to rent our villas during this very difficult time.
The reality is that the majority of people on Maui rely on tourism to support themselves. Our bookkeeper and three of our house keepers lost their homes and all that they own. They are desperate to start working again because it is the only way they can acquire the financial means necessary to rebuild their lives. They also want to work to help keep their minds off of things as they heal. It is a really tough situation. We care deeply about our community, owners and our staff, and want to ensure that we are doing all we can during this very difficult time.
Thank you so much!
Aloha,
Terry and Kim
