Maui struggles with
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After wildfires on Maui killed over 100 people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina , officials told people looking to travel to the Hawaiian island to stay away. Now, as the economic toll of the fires grows, that message has changed. West Maui is losing about $9 million a day, and the rest of the island is feeling the impact. Gina Dello, a cafe owner in South Maui, said that business at her establishment came to a screeching halt in the wake of the fires. "We have probably lost three quarters of our business," said Dello, whose cafe is about 25 miles from Lahaina. The cafe is across the street from a beach, surrounded by surf and scuba shops, and Dello said that less tourist spending has had a "huge" impact. Typically, around 3 million tourists visit Maui each year, spending about $5.4 billion dollars in total, according to Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Before the ...