Maui’s mayor prioritizes housing and vows to hire more firefighters after Lahaina wildfire
HONOLULU– Maui’s mayor says he is prioritizing housing, evaluating evacuation routes and hiring more firefighters as his Hawaiian community recovers from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
Mayor Richard Bissen outlined the steps in emotional remarks more than seven months after the Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people in the historic city of Lahaina.
He began his speech by saying “the state of the province is heartbroken” and then paused several times during his 45-minute speech to collect himself as he spoke of those who died and of the heroism and sacrifices of residents and employees of the province. told stories of those who rescued people from the flames and opened evacuation centers and food distribution centers for survivors.
“It will take strength, courage and faith to keep moving forward. But the foundation of that will be in the way we care for each other, always leading with aloha,” Bissen said in his Friday evening speech, which was delivered in Wailuku and streamed online.
Maui had a housing shortage even before the fire and some of the most expensive housing in the country. The island’s housing crisis only worsened after the fire destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and displaced 4,500 residents. About 87% of those who lost their homes were renters.
Thousands of people are still staying in hotels as they look for rental properties and wait for longer-term housing options. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state and private charities paid for the hotel rooms.
To expand housing options, Bissen said his legal team would review an exception to provincial laws that allows owners of select properties to convert their apartments into vacation rentals and rent them to visitors for less than 30 days.
Activists say there are 2,500 such properties in West Maui alone that could be used to house displaced residents. Since November, activists have been camping on the beach across from waterfront hotels in a “Fishing for Housing” protest to demand the province revoke the exemption.
Bissen said his government would boost enforcement against illegal vacation rentals by investigating anonymous tips, in addition to those from a named source. He said it would also prepare for housing development in both the mid-term and long-term, but did not provide specifics.
The mayor said he would bring rent stabilization legislation to the County Council with the goal of providing relief to residents while fairly balancing the needs of property owners.
Some of those who died in the fire were stuck in traffic when trying to leave Lahaina. Like many towns in Hawaii, it is sandwiched between the ocean and mountains and has limited roads in and out. Bissen said county planning, emergency management, fire and police were investigating evacuation routes in Lahaina and elsewhere.
Bissen said he has approved the addition of 29 positions for the Department of Fire and Public Safety.
“These expansion positions will undoubtedly increase the overall firefighting capacity in our province and enhance the fire department’s ability to respond to future large-scale emergencies,” Bissen said.