LIHU‘E — Rep. Jill Tokuda spoke with The Garden Island on Thursday to discuss the disastrous wildfires in West Maui that claimed at least 111 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
Reflecting on her visit to Lahaina on Saturday, Aug. 12, Tokuda described the destruction she witnessed as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guided her through the rubble.
“It was a very heartbreaking, sombering experience to really understand that we haven’t even begun to understand, quite frankly, the scale of the devastation that we are dealing with,” Tokuda said. “The human loss, the property loss, the historical loss, and how we are going to support the people who, quite frankly, just want to get home.”
Seeking solutions to prevent a similar disaster in the future, Tokuda emphasized the need to enhance statewide preparedness and response systems.
“It really broke my heart when I was at the press conference with the governor on Saturday and (Maui Police Chief John Pelletier) said, ‘We’re 72 hours away from help if a disaster ever struck,’” she said. “That can’t be the case. Absolutely not.”
In particular, Tokuda took issue with the fact that Maui’s warning sirens were purposefully left silent, leaving many to only discover the blaze once they smelled smoke.
“I have talked to folks on every island that are now scared,” she said. “This is unacceptable.”
Tokuda emphasized the need to retool the state’s warning plan, creating a stronger, multi-pronged system in case one or more alerts fail.
“There are dead spots where we have no internet connection,” Tokuda said. “You barely have a radio signal in some particular parts of our community. Some areas are far away from a warning siren … So all of these things tell me that we have not built up a redundant and a resilient system that is really going to be able to make sure people feel safe, and everyone deserves to feel safe. So we have got to do more very quickly.”
Tokuda also noted the need to bolster rural health care in Hawai‘i and across the U.S., arguing it would better prepare remote communities for future disasters. Rural health care has been a key point of Tokuda’s since entering federal office, as she co-leads the Congressional Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, which was launched in late June.
“If we do not have a robust rural health system that has providers, caregivers and an infrastructure to be able to support immediate triage and emergency aid when disaster strikes, and the mental health care that’s going to be required for the long run as well, we will be failing our people,” Tokuda said.
Another major point of concern for many Hawai‘i residents, Tokuda lambasted real estate companies who have attempted to buy land from those who have lost their homes in the fires, characterizing any attempted land grabs as deplorable.
“It’s absolutely disgusting that in our time of grief and despair that we do have people that want to cannibalize on this opportunity,” she said. “They want to prey on our people that, right now, are just in shock and suffering. This is predatory.”
Tokuda continued, regretfully explaining that it’s currently unclear what legislative options are available to prevent these land transfers.
“I don’t have the answer of what we can do right now to really go after them for this predatory behavior, but I can assure you, in my humble opinion, every single level of government should be looking at how we absolutely prohibit and stop this kind of predatory behavior. It should be criminal.”
So far, her congressional peers appear willing to help. Tokuda told The Garden Island she’s received strong bipartisan support since the fires first broke out last week — support she hopes to transform into policy that would fund recovery efforts when Congress reconvenes next month.
“Billions are going to be needed, not just now, but we’re talking for years to come to really help Hawai‘i recover and rebuild,” she said. “So the first thing we’ve got to do when we go back in September is pass the disaster supplemental funding measures.”
“We’ve got to get rolling on getting money here for Hawai‘i, money in for FEMA. We have to fund FEMA. But this is a long haul, and all of our fellow members of Congress know that this is a national disaster that requires a national response.”
In the shorter term, Tokuda announced this week that her office will host a federal resource fair in Kihei for Maui residents impacted by the fires. Originally planned as a town hall, the event will now provide survivors with immediate access to government officials who can help them file for passport and Social Security card replacements, disaster aid, veterans benefits, and health care and small business support.
For more information on the resource fair, visit https://tgilinks.com/3P1OrIj.
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Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-4966 or jhealy@thegardenisland.com.
