HONOLULU (KHON2) — Making sure that Maui stays top of mind for leaders in Washington is the goal of a Hawaii delegation that is meeting with government officials during the week of Monday, Oct. 23.
The delegation is advocating for more recovery funds to go to Maui County two and a half months after the devastating wildfires.
Tuesday, Oct. 24 marks 77 days since Lahaina burned down and Maui has vanished from national headlines. The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce said that is part of the reason why this trip to D.C. is so critical.
“To ensure that we meet with key leaders and decision makers in person to show that, ‘Please don’t forget about Maui. Maui is still in its recovery and its going to take years to recover,’” Chamber of Commerce Sherry Menor-McNamara said.
Maui County Council vice chair Yuki Lei Sugimura said federal dollars put displaced residents up in hotels.
“But we need to stabilize their lives,” Sugimura said. “And so the objective is to not move them, you know, around and to give them some stability as they rebuild their families on the properties that are now just ashes.”
