HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Lahaina Civic Center was packed Wednesday as a congressional hearing on the federal governmentʻs response to Maui wildfires commenced.
The meeting was less about reprimand and more about recovery and how to move forward.
All involved agencies were invited to provide an update on whether the $3 billion that the federal government has provided to aid in recovery efforts is being spent efficiently.
But much of the discussion revolved around housing.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they cleared fire debris from the last residential property this past week.
The EPA reported on their efforts to test drinking water and sewer lines.
But the discussion centered greatly on FEMA and how to provide quicker housing solutions to streamline the building process and provide permanent housing.
“The cost our here to build is over $900K per square foot to build. So itʻs a million dollars per house to rebuild out here which does not make it feasible, within my authority right now, to do that. Our authority right now focuses on temporary solutions,” FEMAʻs Bob Fenton told the committee.
Integrating FEMA and HUDʻs role in disaster recovery was also discussed, as well as the importance of community engagement in rebuilding Lahaina.
“If we donʻt recognize the faces of our friends and our family as we repopulate then we will have lost this battle for our people,” Mayor Bissen said.