Maui County

... between 2019 and 2022, Hawaiian Electric invested less than $245,000 on wildfire-specific projects on the island. Instead of spending necessary funds to prevent fires caused by its equipment, Hawaiian Electric instead spent millions of dollars towards efforts to achieve a 100 percent renewable energy goal, which earned the Company bonuses that the Company’s executives used to increase their own compensation ....

"…one of the best ways to heal is to make home rebuilding as streamlined and quick as possible…."

... Joe Rogan and Tulsi Gabbard on the government screwing over the residents of Maui to take their land ....

... peoples’ homes and businesses are at stake, and their right to those properties must be defended ....

... State House Minority Leader Diamond Garcia ripped Biden for his kitchen-fire comparison and appearing to fall asleep at a memorial service ....

... coverage will continue through at least the end of this year without interruption except for those who voluntarily ask Med-QUEST to end their coverage, those who have moved out of state or those who are deceased ....

... Legitimate questions now need to be asked about whether the government is going to want to take back some of that Lahaina money in taxes .... 

... The number of people still missing from Lahaina after wildfires wiped out a portion of West Maui has dropped from hundreds to 66 ....

“Tourism…dropped off the edge of the Earth.”

...DBEDT reduces its economic growth projections for Hawaii from 1.8% for 2023 to 1.1% and from 2% to 1.5% for 2024....

... to formulate recommendations for the upcoming session, which begins January 17, 2024 ....

... landowners knew how dangerous it was to have that huge volume of dry grass next to subdivisions, and could have saved hundreds of lives at cost of less than $1,000 per acre to cut the brush ....

... If you have comprehensive coverage (also known as “other than collision”) on your automobile insurance policy, submit a claim ....

... Maui Attorney Lance D. Collins has formally requested that Hawai'i Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito call upon property insurance companies to pay out 100% of coverage limits ....

... we cannot afford to further burden our economy with our usual high-tax and high-spending habits ....

... deploying with the Red Cross from Big Island to Maui to serve displaced residents ....

... On August 18, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service announced “expansive tax relief” for Hawaii wildfire victims ....

... licensure laws that constrain the supply of skilled trades workers, building codes that complicate and disincentivize adding accessory dwelling units, and laws prohibiting prefabricated homes ....

... “Nani ka noho mehameha ʻana o ke kūlanakauhale i piha i kanaka! Ua like hoʻi me ka wahine kāne make!” How lonely sits the city that was once full of people! (Lam. 1:1) ....

... "It's clear we need answers into how this tragic fire occurred and what could have been done to prevent it from happening." ....

... displaced families are now searching for housing in one of the nation’s most expensive markets ....

... "to assess the policies and performance of state and county agencies" -- not MECO ....

" I had been present in our Emergency Operating Center since Aug. 7 "

... The West Maui Land Company accused M. Kaleo Manuel, an official with the Hawaii DLNR, of delaying a response to a request to use water to refill reservoirs used by the Maui Fire Department to fight the wildfire ....

" ... A lot of new roots shooting off .... "

"... Has the Hawai’i State Energy Office been involved? ...."

“... I was appointed to this position, I didn’t run for it initially so I’m not wedded to staying in the Legislature ....”

... Bissen has said that after the EPA removes hazardous materials, he will allow residents to go back to their properties to collect personal items ....

... The proclamation gave developers ways around regulations ....

... waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars ....

... shock and denial ....

... Anger lasts the longest ....

... a selection committee comprised of the Maui PD Chief Faaumu, Maui FD Chief Murray, Elton Ushio, Admin of the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency and Vern Miyagi, Admin of the Hawaiʻi State Emergency Management Agency ....

... The fire was insignificant, contained to the kitchen and under control within 20 minutes, according to the local fire department ....

... FEMA's "resilience" division was advised of a requirement to complete one of three three-hour diversity training modules between Aug. 1 and Sept. 28 ....

"At about 3 p.m., a time when all of Hawaiian Electric's power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours, a second fire (the "Afternoon Fire") began in the same area."

... there is a darker side ....

... among the heartbreaking losses earlier this month in fire-ravaged Lahaina were three healthcare clinics that served approximately 30,000 patients ....

... Oliveira directly oversaw Hawaii County’s mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery efforts for diverse emergency and disaster events, including tropical storms and the 2014 Pahoa lava flow ....

... more than a dozen hotels and timeshare properties are currently housing more than 4,400 shelter survivors and hotel employee survivors, while some 900 people are booked in Airbnb units ....

... “Genuine sympathy is better than contrived empathy,” the business wrote in the post of the photo of the sign. “It’s not always about you Mr. President.” ....

... there are National Guard, Reserve and active duty personnel who make up the task force. Also included in the task force are Army civilian personnel from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency ....

... HEI suspending dividends, drawing down $370M credit line and further separating HEI and ASB boards  ....

... UPDATE Aug 25, 2023: "About 100 names tentatively removed from missing list" ....

... An emergency proclamation by Gov. Josh Green offers developers the opportunity to route around almost all regulations on building homes ....

... We asked the Maui Mayor’s office and the Maui County Building Permits Division.  Here is their response ....

... oral arguments concerning how much water was permitted to battle the Maui wildfires took place in supreme court Wednesday August 23, 2023 ....

... Maui County and other state officials and entities have also faced their own share of criticism for the response during and after the fires ....

...The House Small Business Committee sent a letter to the Small Business Administration seeking information and a staff-level briefing on how the agency is assisting victims of the Hawaii wildfire....

... HHFDC housing referral program ends first week with 900-plus dwelling options for displaced Maui residents; Governor Green urges more property owners to participate ....