County wants to keep some fire debris on island | News, Sports, Jobs

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen speaks at a news conference at the state building in Wailuku on Wednesday. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

Maui County is seeking to keep nonhazardous fire debris on island per the wishes of the Lahaina community over concerns that it may still contain remains of those who died in the fire, Mayor Richard Bissen said.

Bissen said the administration is working with the county Department of Environmental Management on the proposal that will be considered by the state Board of Land Natural Resources on Oct. 27.

“We will know more at that time,” Bissen said during a news conference at the state building in Wailuku on Wednesday afternoon. “But we do have a plan of keeping the nonhazardous debris on island at the wishes of our Lahaina community. We understand that there may be remains that is contained within those areas. Wherever we put that on Maui … that’s the only thing that will be stored there. This will not be a landfill in a sense that anything else can be put there with it. This will be a place there solely by itself.”

The BLNR meeting agenda had not yet been posted as of Wednesday afternoon. A county spokesperson could not immediately be reached for more information on the proposal.

The EPA has said that because Maui has no landfills certified to take hazardous waste from the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina and Kula, the EPA will ship the waste to licensed disposal sites on the West Coast.

Gov. Josh Green (in photo), FEMA Regional Administrator Bob Fenton and James Kunane Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism address reporters at a news conference at the state building in Wailuku on Wednesday. The officials offered updates on the economic recovery and housing response since the fires.

Bissen was among the officials who spoke at the news conference, along with Gov. Josh Green, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross and the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, all of whom gathered to give an update on the economic recovery and housing response following the fires.

Green said that he will soon travel to Washington D.C. to meet with President Joe Biden and federal officials regarding the ongoing needs of Maui. He added he will announce next month a program to provide funds to families who lost loved ones or had loved ones hurt in the fires. Green has previously said that he wanted to provide financial support for these families sooner than later, as the compensation they may be seeking from lawsuits will not arrive quickly.

As cleanup and recovery continues in Lahaina, the state and the county are considering when to move to the next phase of reopening tourism in West Maui. On Oct. 8, the area including The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua to Kahana Villa reopened to tourism as part of Phase 1.

Some community members were hesitant, saying they needed more time to grieve and were not ready for tourists. The Maui County Council earlier this month passed a resolution urging Green to push back the Oct. 8 opening. More than 10,000 signatures opposing the reopening were delivered to Green’s office days before the scheduled opening.

DBEDT Director James Tokioka said a lot of thought went into the partial reopening and that he meets with hotel operators at least once, sometimes twice a week. He said the opening went as expected without a whole influx of tourists. In fact, after Green made the reopening announcement, some bookings were actually lost, Tokioka said.

FEMA Regional Administrator Bob Fenton

Bissen and his administration are currently working on when to announce the Phase 2 reopening, which is scheduled to be from Mahinahina to Maui Kaanapali Villas. Bissen said there will be a meeting with an advisory team Friday to discuss Phase 2.

Green said Wednesday that there were still 6,800 displaced people staying in 35 hotels, as well as vacation rentals.

Maui County will take the lead on getting the displaced into stable housing, but the state and federal officials pledged their ongoing help.

Bob Fenton, FEMA’s regional administrator, reminded people that they can sign up to get rental assistance from FEMA.

He said after receiving initial help, people can get help in three-month increments for up to 18 months.

James Kunane Tokioka

And, if the aid is not enough to pay rent, people can seek out agencies such as the American Red Cross and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement for extra help.

Fenton said the rental assistance from FEMA has also been increased.

* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

FEMA Regional Administrator Bob Fenton James Kunane Tokioka Gov. Josh Green (in photo), FEMA Regional Administrator Bob Fenton and James Kunane Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism address reporters at a news conference at the state building in Wailuku on Wednesday. The officials offered updates on the economic recovery and housing response since the fires.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen speaks at a news conference at the state building in Wailuku on Wednesday. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

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