-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, tomorrow marks 1 month since the devastating fires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on Maui and damaged several of Maui's upcountry communities.

These devastating fires and the events that followed have been harrowing for all those who call Maui home and the many more who have visited these communities over the years. Initial estimates suggest the fires destroyed nearly 3,000 structures in Lahaina, almost 90 percent of which were residential. It also leveled roughly 700 businesses in and around Lahaina's historic Front Street. Tragically, the fires have claimed 115 lives to date, with some 385 people still unaccounted for.

These numbers are devastating and reflect the pain and anguish Hawaii is feeling. But this disaster did not simply impact a collection of numbers or statistics; it impacted a community of people, tight-knit and proud--business owners who served as stewards of family-owned shops and restaurants passed down through generations; immigrants who came to Maui in search of a better life for themselves and their families; firefighters who raced into horrific, toxic conditions to try to save a town they loved even as many of their own homes burned to the ground mere miles away; and so many more who called Lahaina home.

As the onetime capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Lahaina holds great agriculture and historic significance for the Native Hawaiian community. For some families, their roots in Lahaina date back more than a century, with homes passed down from generation to generation. Others came from elsewhere, captivated by Lahaina's beauty and charm. And before the fires, Lahaina was a bustling seaside town that welcomed thousands of visitors every month. But in mere moments, all of that was destroyed as 80-mile-per-hour winds, fueled by a hurricane 500 miles away, propelled the fire through the town with unimaginable speed and fury.

The devastation is difficult to put into words, as is the trauma this community is experiencing. Front Street, once vibrant with the sounds of music and revelers in the air, is now eerily quiet. The only sound to be heard is often the clanging of twisted metal in the wind. At the hotels where survivors are staying, parents are afraid to send their children to school, not wanting them out of their sight.

I met a woman who escaped the fire with just a backpack of belongings--a backpack she now takes everywhere with her, refusing to take it off her back. I met hotel workers and others, especially a mental health worker who said that weeks after the fires, some residents and workers were so traumatized, they didn't even want to come out of their rooms.

At the same time, at a time of grief and loss, residents have been subjected to disinformation on social media, likely coordinated by foreign government entities, to discourage residents from reaching out to FEMA for disaster assistance and disinformation that sows distrust in the Federal Government. It is an all-hands-on-deck effort to combat this kind of disinformation and make sure survivors can access Federal support.

As we work to ensure the survivors of this disaster have the support they need, we are also working to understand the full cost of the devastation. According to initial estimates, the damage to property alone from these fires is upwards of $5 billion. Estimates for rebuilding Lahaina are more than double that.

Rebuilding will take time, resources, and a continuity of effort. That is why I am so grateful for the strong response of the full family of Federal Agencies, more than 25 of which are on the ground in Maui with over 1,000 personnel. From FEMA and SBA to HHS, HUD, DOD, and so many others, the Federal family responded with speed to meet the immediate needs of those impacted.

Within days of the fires starting, FEMA, working with the Governor, mayor, and local entities, was able to get thousands of survivors into hotel rooms, Airbnbs, and other short-term shelters. To date, more than $50 million in Federal assistance to individuals has already been approved. But we know this is just the beginning. Federal personnel have also been critical to the search and rescue efforts, coming from around the country to help search through the rubble and identify the remains of those lost.

When President Biden visited last month, he made a commitment that the Federal Government will be there for as long as it takes to help Lahaina recover and rebuild as the community--as the community-- envisions. The $4 billion in additional FEMA funding the President requested late last week is an important downpayment on that promise.

This funding will help ensure FEMA has the resources it needs to continue its critical disaster relief work not just on Maui but in other communities impacted by disasters all across our country. I hope it will pass with strong bipartisan support, as has long been the case for disaster relief funding.

But we know, as I said before, this is just the beginning. In the decade since Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on New York and New Jersey, FEMA has spent more than $18 billion assisting impacted communities. FEMA's long-term cost for its response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 exceeded $60 billion. Like those communities, Lahaina's rebuilding will take time and, as I said before, a continuity of effort.

These fires took so much from so many, but the spirit of aloha--of love, kindness, and care for one another--continues. It is that aloha that brought our community together after this crisis, and I have faith that it will continue to see us through.

I will be here, along with my colleagues from Hawaii--my other Senator, Brian Schatz, is here as part of our delegation--to fight for everything Hawaii and Maui needs to recover and rebuild, guided by the voices and values of those who call Lahaina home.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source