The U.S. Postal Service isn’t resuming curbside mail delivery to some Lahaina residents who rebuilt homes destroyed by wildfire three years ago, prompting calls by Hawaii government leaders to have such service restored for people who lost so much.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation on Monday sent a joint letter to Postmaster General David Steiner expressing deep concern over what they described as an abrupt decision by USPS to treat rebuilt single-family homes in the historic Lahaina town as “new development” requiring centralized mailbox clusters for home delivery.
“We urge you to change course by making a commitment to provide direct mail delivery for all returning families,” wrote U.S. Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case along with U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono.
“Lahaina residents are not moving into new subdivisions,” their letter continued. “They are returning to a historic community and to homes rebuilt on the same properties and at the same delivery points that existed before the fire. USPS should therefore be working to restore the pre-disaster mode of service that was temporarily interrupted — not treating these returning residents as though they were establishing entirely new developments.”
The plea from Hawaii’s congressional delegation followed a Sept. 2 letter sent to Steiner by Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, who noted that long-established neighborhoods in many instances can’t accommodate centralized mailbox clusters.
“Homes being reconstructed in Lahaina are not part of newly planned subdivisions,” Bissen wrote in his letter copied to Tokuda, Case, Schatz and Hirono. “They are existing residential lots in established neighborhoods where homes were destroyed by a federally declared disaster. … Recovery should restore what was lost wherever reasonably possible. It should not leave returning families with fewer services than they had on August 7, 2023.”
The Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire destroyed about 2,200 structures in the West Maui town, including apartment and condominium buildings, businesses and government property. Roughly 1,300 single-family homes were destroyed.
According to Maui County, 291 single-family homes have been rebuilt to date along with 313 multifamily units.
John Hyatt, a USPS spokesperson for a region including Hawaii, was unable on Wednesday to confirm or provide additional information about the agency’s service for rebuilt single-family homes in Lahaina.
Hawaii’s congressional representatives said in their letter to Steiner that they have been hearing from fire survivors who rebuilt homes and were informed by USPS that their property is considered “new development” requiring centralized mailbox clusters.
“Constituents have reported learning that home delivery would no longer be provided only after going weeks or even months without receiving their mail,” the letter said.
A recent report by The Guardian newspaper cited an email from a USPS representative to one Lahaina customer as saying, “All dwellings that were affected by the fires in 2023 that have been rebuilt will no longer receive street delivery.”
Hawaii’s congressional delegation said in their letter that some Lahaina property owners who rebuilt homes have been told by USPS that they can purchase a Post Office Box to receive their mail.
The Lahaina Main Post Office, which is on one edge of the town, wasn’t destroyed by the fire. But a downtown Lahaina post office, in the middle of town about 2 miles from the main post office, was destroyed and isn’t intended to be rebuilt because of what USPS described in an Aug. 20 letter to customers as “irreparable damage.”
The USPS letter said the agency intends to keep its downtown Lahaina station permanently closed but also is conducting a feasibility study.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation called the feasibility study callous, and Bissen urged Steiner to reconsider permanent closure.
“USPS has asserted that this closure would not affect current services because operations have been consolidated at the Lahaina Main Post Office for the past three years,” Tokuda, Case, Schatz and Hirono wrote. “However, that facility is already experiencing significant strain, including lengthy wait times, staffing challenges, and ongoing unresolved issues with mail delivery.”
Bissen said in his letter, “We recognize that decisions regarding postal facilities involve operational and financial considerations. However, Lahaina remains in an extraordinary period of recovery, and decisions about the community’s long-term postal infrastructure should account for the population and economic activity that are actively returning as rebuilding progresses. … The people of Lahaina have spent three years overcoming obstacle after obstacle to come home. Federal, state and local government should be working together to make that return easier, not actively creating new barriers.”
