The administration of Josh Green’s biggest challenge has been set: How the governor administers the rebuilding of not just Lahaina, but Maui in the light of the devastating fire, will be a big measure of his success or failure in office.

For Hawaii, the tragedy of the destruction of Lahaina town is a sudden, stark reality. First there is the loss of life of at least 67 individuals. Next is what will fill in for an entire functioning town gone in one night.

Newspaper deadlines demand writing this column while officials were still going through the grim task of searching for missing residents and visitors to West Maui, but the total is going to be more than the 67 announced Friday.

With a postcard-perfect town front, Lahaina was a historic symbol for the entire history of Hawaii from precontact through the missionaries, whalers, plantation to big-time tourism.

As Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a news conference last week: “There is nothing there. From shore to the highway. There is nothing to go back to.”

What happens now is unclear from the early comments from both Bissen and Green.

“We will rebuild,” said Green. “We are going to need to house thousands of people.”

At the same time he added that he expected the death toll to also increase.

“It will significantly exceed the 61 deaths from the 1960 tsunami,” Green predicted.

The loss of infrastructure was also immense. At least 1,700 buildings.

Hawaii economist Paul Brewbaker told me the burning of Lahaina was similar to the destruction on Kauai when it was hit by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

“Not in terms of loss of life, but in terms of shutting down an economy,” Brewbaker said. “Lahaina or West Maui generally are one important part — half or more — of Maui tourism.”

Economists are not a “let’s look at the positive side” bunch of professionals; it is not called the “dismal science” for nothing.

As Brewbaker said, “The hurricane was not Kauai’s first rodeo” — but he added Kauai was able to rebuild and come back so that portions of the island are considered definitions of Hawaii tourism.

It is too early from this writing to specifically say how leaders like Bissen and Green will push for the reconstruction of Lahaina, let alone predict how successful they will be, but as Brewbaker urged: Now is the time to get out of the box.

“When we count up the numbers of houses and lodging units that were destroyed in West Maui and elsewhere, the governor and the mayor need to say: ‘We’re going to let people replace every one of those structures today.’”

Brewbaker says the way forward is to go for it.

“Maui’s going to take a big hit, but the sooner it rebuilds the sooner it recovers,” he said. “And starting from scratch, all over, isn’t a bad way to build a future.”

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.