KEEPING LAHAINA LANDS IN LAHAINA HANDS
An anonymous donor gift of $75,000 from The Chicago Community Foundation to support the work of the Lahaina Community Land Trust to keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands.
Showing posts with label Defend The Aina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defend The Aina. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
COME MAKE WAVES WITH US
Seeking Volunteers For Our Fishing for Housing Camp - Community Outreach Or General Camp Kōkua, There’s A Spot For You To Make A Difference. Sign Up Now Here - bit.ly/campkokua Let’s Make Waves Together!
Thursday, December 07, 2023
Saturday, December 02, 2023
AS REPORTED WEDNESDAY ON FREE HAWAI`I TV - ATTORNEY GENERAL ISSUES MAUI FIRE SUBPOENAS
NBC News - November 28, 2023
When Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez was asked about the early days of her investigation, a month after historic fires ravaged Maui, she told reporters that she hoped state and county employees would “voluntarily participate” in the official review, but noted she’d resort to her subpoena power if she needed to.
Now she has.
Lopez on Monday issued subpoenas to three Maui agencies who have faced public scrutiny for their response to the August fires that killed at least 97 people: The Maui Emergency Management Agency, the County of Maui Department of Public Works, and the County of Maui Department of Water Supply.
Representatives for each have been summoned to appear on Dec. 11 to give testimony and present documents for examination.
Notably, the Maui Emergency Management Agency was once headed by Herman Andaya, who resigned citing health reasons in the days following the fires, during an uproar over his decision to not sound emergency sirens many believed would have helped save lives.
It is unclear if Andaya has cooperated with the investigation but, as part of the subpoena, Lopez requested records of all communications made by or to Andaya from 8 p.m. on Aug. 7, the evening before the fires, through Aug. 10.
The head of the Maui Department of Water Supply, John Stufflebean, repeatedly declined to speak to NBC News in the wake of the fires, but told The New York Times that the county’s water system “depressurized” as the fires spread. Copies of the subpoenas provided to NBC News indicate the attorney general has questions about the possible pressure loss.
In a news release, Lopez said other county agencies had been largely cooperative, but cited the need for “critical facts” from “key stakeholders” before the fact-finding phase of the investigation could wrap up. When it was first announced in August, the first phase was expected to last about three months and produce a comprehensive timeline of the disaster.
The head of the Maui Department of Water Supply, John Stufflebean, repeatedly declined to speak to NBC News in the wake of the fires, but told The New York Times that the county’s water system “depressurized” as the fires spread. Copies of the subpoenas provided to NBC News indicate the attorney general has questions about the possible pressure loss.
In a news release, Lopez said other county agencies had been largely cooperative, but cited the need for “critical facts” from “key stakeholders” before the fact-finding phase of the investigation could wrap up. When it was first announced in August, the first phase was expected to last about three months and produce a comprehensive timeline of the disaster.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Thursday, November 09, 2023
SUPPORT MAUI FIRE VICTIMS STARTING TOMORROW FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES
The Lahaina Strong Hui calls on our community to exercise our rights, drawing attention to the sheltering crisis in Lahaina. We demand urgent action from Mayor Bissen and Governor Green to convert short-term rentals into long-term housing.
Let's stand together and hold space for
as long as it takes.
- Follow Code of Conduct at ALL TIMES
- Check in at Lahaina Strong tent when you arrive
- Come Self Sustainable & bring what you will need
- Pack it in / Pack it out
- Check the Needs List before coming and try to bring something to donate to support
Monday, November 06, 2023
HEREʻS HOW YOU CAN HELP LAHAINA
Over 6,000 Lahaina residents and fire evacuees will be displaced to make room for tourists at the end of this month.
So far only one hotel will be renewing their shelter contract with the Red Cross after December 1st, forcing nearly 6,700 residents to make a decision to either move away entirely, become homeless in Lahaina, or find a room/bed available in a local household which will be difficult at best.
We urge you to show up on Friday, November 10th starting at 8 AM on the beach in front of Whalers Village and support our Fishing For Lahaina action to encourage Gov. Josh Green and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen to provide us with appropriate housing solutions.
Whether you live on Maui or not, you can support out cause. We welcome your help and support. Mahalo!
Thursday, November 02, 2023
AS SEEN ON FREE HAWAI`I TV YESTERDAY - ALL OF WEST MAUI BACK OPEN TO TOURISM - COMES WITH MIXED FEELINGS
KHON2 - November 1, 2023
Local businesses are hoping this next chapter will provide much need financial stability.
The Maui Ocean Center said it’s been a slow climb since the first phase of reopening tourism to West Maui back on Sunday, Oct. 8.
“We’ve seen a little bit of an improvement there but we’re interested to see what this next phase does for us,” said Maui Ocean Center Marketing Director Mark Matthews.
Fortunately, the popular tourist attraction has not laid off any employees but it said this next phase will be essential in moving forward.
“Unless we see a more of an uptick, then we’re going to continue to operate as tight as we can and hopefully not finding ourselves making tough decisions that so many other companies have already had to make,” Matthews explained.
For Auntie Snorkel in Lahaina Gateway, it’s a different story. The company had to layoff some of its employees, but they’re optimistic business will flow in.
“We’re looking forward to seeing more people,” said the owner of Auntie Snorkel Mark Noble. “UNA I guess that’s been our challenge. The north part of the island reopened and that’s a little far from us. So we’re looking forward to the Kaanapali area reopening which is as of today.”
Almost three months after the fires, the full return of West Maui tourism comes with mixed feelings.
“It’s been very challenging. We have our own concerns but it seems so minor compared to what so many folks have been through,” said Noble. “But at the same time we all know how important it is to pay our bills. I have four children that were born on the island, of course they’re expensive.”
Lahaina resident Andrew Candelario, who lost his home in the fire and moved into a hotel before relocating to Kihei, said the return of tourism is a balance hard to navigate.
“I have mixed feelings about tourism,” said Candelario. “I know we need them and some of my best friends are tourists because they come every year. I worked in the industry on the beach and now they’re like ‘hey what’s it like? Should we come? Should we not come?'”
According to the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, the impacts from the Maui wildfires were significant in September with both visitor arrivals and spending down by 50%. While more visitors are expected to touch down on the Valley Isle residents are asking for respect, compassion and aloha.
“I’ve been fortunate enough where people have been helping me people that I don’t know,” said Candelario. “So that’s the thing I would say, if you’re coming — find something to do for somebody.”
DBEDT said with the reopening of West Maui, tourism is expected to improve over the next few months. It does not expect pre-wildfire numbers for Maui until late 2024.
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK
"WHY YOU GOT SUCKERED ON MAUI"
Yes, They Lied To You.
They Said Maui Would Re-Open In Phases.
Instead As Of Today The Entire Island Is Now Open.
Watch This To Find Out Why & How To Prevent It In The Future.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
ACTION ALERT - PLEASE BE THERE TOMORROW - YOUR ATTENDANCE NEEDED
The Department of Boating and Recreation (DOBAR) will host a meeting to update the community on the use of the Lahaina and Mala Boat Ramp from 9 AM-12 Noon tomorrow, November 1st at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, 1 Cameron Way, Kahului, Maui 96732.
They will only be accepting questions even after multiple requests from the community to also allow comments.
For years the local fishermen and ramp users have requested the state to stop the issuance of commercial tourism permits at Mala.
PLEASE support the Lahaina community by simply showing up and wearing red in solidarity.
Please share this and spread the word! See you tomorrow! Mahalo!
Thursday, October 26, 2023
AS SEEN YESTERDAY ON FREE HAWAI`I TV - "THREE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK NOW ABOUT THE MAUI FIRES"
Honolulu Civil Beat - By Naka Nathaniel - October 11, 2023
Now that we are two months beyond the horrific fires that devastated Maui, a lot of the national and international attention has moved on. I’ve been a part of those news caravans in the past. The urgency to cover the breaking news is always there and, given the world we live in, there is always news breaking somewhere.
I remain reluctant to keep making 9/11 parallels, but I am sincere in wanting the lessons learned from previous catastrophes to be applied to current crisis here in Hawaii. Here are three questions that concern me the most:
First, are we making sure that the people of Maui are being heard?
Debating the decision to open West Maui to tourism does little good. West Maui is now open to tourism and hotels are taking bookings.
The more helpful question going forward is whether — and how — the wishes of the people of Maui will be heard. The Maui County Council voted unanimously to ask Gov. Josh Green to delay the opening and a petition with thousands of signatures was delivered to the governor’s office last week.
I asked Green’s office how he is planning on making sure the people on Maui are heard.
“In 20 visits to Maui in the first 53 days following the disaster, Gov. Green met with hundreds of working-class people as well as owners and operators of businesses large and small to learn from them and understand the recovery steps they want to see,” wrote Erika Engle, the governor’s spokesperson. “He further continues to engage with Mayor Richard Bissen as well as community members across West Maui as recovery efforts continue across several fronts.”
I wrote a few weeks ago about how I saw this play out in New York in the aftermath of Sept. 11. The initial attempts to bring back lower Manhattan by New York’s governor and the developer in charge of the site was met with stiff resistance by citizens who were angry that they weren’t being heard.
Instead of ignoring those voices, “Listening to City” sessions were conducted in New York, and ultimately went a long distance to making Lower Manhattan a better place than it was before the attacks.
There should be paths, going forward, for the people of Maui to be better heard.
Second, who is in charge of the phased opening of Maui?
There are so many interested parties. I was reviewing how New York brought back Wall Street.
Following the attacks, the stock exchanges were closed for the remainder of the week, but they reopened on Sept. 17. It was meant to be a quick rebound for the city and the financial markets. The NYSE also learned its lesson and built a second emergency trading floor in case of another attack.
The leaders were motivated by the money. There was no time to process. The economy needed to keep humming and Americans were being encouraged to help by shopping.
The pressure to get West Maui’s economy back up and running feels similar, as does the lack of clarity on who is in charge of the phased opening and how West Maui recovers.
“Governor Green and Mayor Bissen have regular conversations with one another and with federal and non-profit recovery partners in order to make informed decisions about next steps,” wrote Engle in response to my question.
My third concern is the health risks concerning the reopening of West Maui.
As I see the images of Lahaina and read Paula Dobbyn’s story about toxins, I’m worried that we aren’t taking into full account of what’s in the air, in the soil and in the water.
In early September 2002, I was in a helicopter hovering a couple thousand feet above the holes where the two towers had been. Most of the rubble had been cleared from the site and preparations were being made for the anniversary commemorations.
What I remember from then is the hole in the city and feeling the urge, like most others, to rush in and fill it.
Sadly, those urges to rush in and quickly build back had dire consequences.
Last month, the New York City Fire Department announced the deaths of an EMT and a fire firefighter from illnesses contracted from their exposure to Ground Zero. The two deaths meant more NYFD first responders were killed in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, than were killed on the day of the attacks.
There are fears that Lahaina will become a future cancer cluster. It’ll be terrible to think that enough precautions weren’t taken to safely bring people back to a place rife with illness-causing chemicals and debris.
I’m hoping we can resist the urge to rush a return before we understand the full scope of what needs to be dealt with and the best ways to mitigate those future health risks.
Those are the conversations that should be happening now. Listening to concerns, sharing what is known and unknown about how to make a return to Maui that happens in a prudent and pono way.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK
"3 QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK ABOUT THE MAUI FIRES"
How Can We Learn From The Maui Fires So It Never Happens Again?
These Three Questions Are Important To Ask Now.
Because Asking The Right Questions Get You Right Answers.
Watch This To Learn What They Are So Disaster Never Strikes Again.
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