‘GMA’ spotlights Hawaiʻi, looks at Lahaina’s rebuilding nearly three years after the Maui wildfires

As part of Good Morning America’s yearlong “50 States in 50 Weeks” series, ABC News correspondent Becky Worley reported live from Maui, spotlighting the people, culture and resilience that make Hawaiʻi so special.

The live reports aired nationally on Friday morning with Worley sharing stories and inspiration from her home state—exploring the rebuilding happening nearly three years after the devastating Lahaina wildfires, and visiting with a Maui family who was able to rebuild with the help of generous support from the nonprofit organization, Samaritan’s Purse.

The highlights also featured a segment on the resurgence of the Hawaiian language with programs like Ke Kula ʻO Piʻilani, an immersion school in ʻĪao Valley.

Educators work to bring back Hawaiian language

Hawaiʻiʻs hula, language and culture set it apart. Worley was able capture those moments and effectively show the pride and passion behind these treasures.

“Every time we have come to Hawaiʻi, we’ve tried to tell stories with local families and Hawaiian voices. Covering Hawaiian immersion learning and talking to the folks at Ke Kula ‘o Pi’ilani School in Wailuku was so important. The resurgence of the Hawaiian language has been a good news story and on “Good Morning America” we try to focus as much on the good as we can,” said Worley.

The school was severely damaged by the Kona Low storms, and so visibility for them as they try to rebuild and fundraise is so important.

“As we tell stories there are no better voices to hear than those of the children, the keiki,” she said. “So, it was wonderful to have these students tell the story of Hawaiian immersion learning. It’s wild for me to think that when I attended Kīhei school in the 70s and 80s there were fewer than 50 children in the world that spoke Hawaiian and it was still technically illegal to teach Hawaiian in the schools.  So to see more than 4,000 children in Hawaiian language learning was so encouraging.”

Aloha spirit unmatched; beauty of Hawaiʻi in 90 seconds

The Aloha spirit of Hawaiʻi and Maui is truly unmatched. In fact, thereʻs a saying — Maui nō ka ʻoi, meaning Maui is the best.

“To tell the story of Hawaiʻi with music and hula dancers in our live shot truly brought Hawaiʻi to life especially at 1 a.m., which is when we had to go live with the time change,” said Worley.

The coverage included a live segment from the Grand Wailea featuring Miss Aloha Hula 2026, Faith Kealohapauʻole Paredes of Maui, and fellow dancers from Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi under the direction of Nā Kumu Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes.

Worley described the interview with Paredes and her parents as “a full circle moment.”

“I grew up going to church in Kīhei with Joy [Haunani] and watching her dance every weekend as I played ʻukulele in the choir. To have her daughter dancing on ‘Good Morning America’ with us felt so special.”

A look inside Maui’s wildfire recovery

As Maui comes up on the three year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires, GMA took a look at the progress of rebuilding including a look at both residential and commercial construction. For Worley, the visit was more than a stroll down Front Street, but a reflection on a place she had known since childhood.

“I grew up on Maui, and my parents are still living on the Island, so I come home regularly. I was devastated when the fires destroyed Lahaina. I went to school at Sacred Heart school and my dad’s office was in the Pioneer Inn, so it was near and dear to my heart,” she told Maui Now.

In the year, following the fires, ABC News came back every month to cover the aftermath and rebuilding progress.

“It has been hopeful and also hard to see how challenging life has been for Maui, families and small businesses,” she said.

During a press conference on Thursday, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said the priority from the beginning was to build owner-occupied residential properties first. At the same time, infrastructure for commercial properties has also been part of the process.

To date, more than 500 homes have been built in Lahaina, with about 700 residential permits issued and another 700-plus pending approval. The mayor noted that underground infrastructure work needed to support returning commercial activity, much of which was tied to federal funding, and took about two years to secure before construction could begin.

With that said, the first project was announced this week to bring storefronts back to the burn zone section of Front Street since the 2023 disaster. The ʻUlu o Lele marketplace is an interim project planned for the former Outlets of Maui site, featuring 25 vendor spaces.

“It’s still hard for me to see Front Street in Lahaina looking so desolate. I will be so happy when shovels are in the ground and Lahaina is starting to look a little bit more alive along Front Street,” said Worley.  

“On the flipside, the rebuilding of homes is so heartwarming. Seeing the Kahahane Family of Lahaina returned to their homestead with a fully finished construction brought me to tears,” she said.

Worley met this family two days after the fires and kept in touch with them over the years as they struggled to stay on the island and figure out a way to rebuild their home. 

“These homecoming stories are such an important part of our coverage of Hawaiʻi and the Maui fires,” said Worley.