[TerryC]

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

 

[TomG]

Much mahalo goes out to you Terry and Kim and your staff and community. . We experienced a loss of 48% of our business in the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfires where 2500 buildings were lost. Insurance was painful and difficult. It would be difficult to consult on this without knowing more details. But I spent two years working on insurance claims for my family’s homes and owners’ homes.

I would encourage you to use this time to serve the community and communicate with your guests about the needs and opportunities. Solicit prayer, good thoughts, email exchanges, Facebook comments—just keep the lines of communication open with your legacy and repeat guests. I cannot recommend this more when thinking of your long term brand.

I launched daily Facebook lives, and kept the lines of communication open with our guests. Our brand loyalty went through the roof. People still remember the way we responded to the wild fires—mobilizing volunteers, serving food, opening our homes, serving our owners who couldn’t get information on their homes. We did so much outside the realm of our normal operations but it all made sense to kick into high gear and serve. It seems that is your posture as well.

Document with video, share human stories, engage people and their interest and concern and they will remember you. I know there are a myriad of things to do to maintain and adapt to your new reality but take this opportunity to become a reliable source of information and updates for those concerned for your business, Lahaina, all of a Maui and the well being of your employees. I’m happy to share more but know we are praying for you and cheering you on.

 

[MPerkins]

The biggest of hugs to you!

I'm in Sonoma County, CA, and we and surrounding areas have unfortunately experienced significant fires in the last few years - losing whole towns - and, well, flooding. We never worked directly with FEMA, but here are a few things we did that were successful:

- Allowed cats and other pets that we normally wouldn't. Usually pet friendly for our homes is exclusive to dogs. But evacuated locals need more than dogs to come with them and many shelters didn't allow people to keep their pets with them which was especially traumatic for families. Of course, ADA laws require service animals access, but pets are an important support for nearly everyone. Yes, we directed folks to homes that were best suited to having the extra wear and tear and with the support of homeowners.

- Cancellations went through the roof because of air quality and other stuff... So we ended up with lots of bigger gaps on the calendar. Even less than 30 night stays were helpful in the absence of other housing. And many people simply needed a place to land and regroup before figuring out longer term solutions.

- We worked with insurance companies. Some of them were quicker to send checks directly to us than to their clients to send to us (weird but true). And with folks being out of sorts and the infrastructure "interrupted," it was faster and easier for everyone involved. We also allowed a few extra days for that payment to happen than we normally would. Holding a credit card on file, but not charging it unless the insurance check didn't arrive. But, we never had to follow through on that. Some of those checks were slow but eventually arrived. Or the insurance companies overnighted them.

- Some of our homeowners were able to offer a few nights free or discounts, but with the cost of utilities around here - free nights means taking a significant loss - no matter the time of year. So, we worked with whatever discounts or freebies we could. In a couple cases, the owners allowed a handful of our staff and cleaners to stay for no rent, but they paid the cleaning and other fees. Gratefully, I didn't lose my home, but I stayed at one we manage while evacuated and "donated" what I could to that owner after our insurance company sent us a pittance.

- Partnering with other organizations to help the people you do host with food/groceries, clothes, etc. Sharing information about these offers. The non-profits that pop up after massive disasters are a mixed bag and HAVE to be checked out. We relied on our local tourism bureau to do that as much as possible.

- Allowing guests to use our mailing address for official mail, deliveries, etc. (many of our homes don't have mail service at the homes). We let folks print paperwork in our office and use the fax machine and/or scanner. If we'd had room, we wanted to set up a computer that guests could simply use here, but we were already at capacity with another office's worth of people smooshed into ours as well.

I'm sure you'll get many good suggestions, and you'll find the ones that work for you and your situation. FYI - sometimes it's okay for the local govt to ignore us as vacation rentals - we get creative and do a better job helping PEOPLE than they do and don't have to stick to their rules... 🙂

 

[AMiller]

Hi from Maine. We in Maine are sending positive thoughts. How about traveling nurses? We are having a statewide vr meeting sept. 12. What can we do to help?