Overview

• Researchers report a 67% rise in Maui’s overall death rate for August 2023, totaling 82 excess deaths compared with historical expectations.
• During the week of August 19, the local death rate was about 367% higher than expected, marking the period’s sharpest surge.
• Roughly 80% of the excess deaths occurred outside medical settings, a jump from 68% in other months, suggesting many people could not reach treatment.
• The team modeled all-cause excess mortality using Maui County data from August 2018 to July 2023 while excluding COVID‑19 deaths, and they note limits such as no cause-specific or Lāhainā-level attribution and a short study window.
• The authors urge wildfire prevention and preparedness reforms that include removing flammable invasive grasses and restoring Native Hawaiian agroecological systems.