Lawmakers demand answers on exploding costs for Maui wildfire relief
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Outraged lawmakers demanded more answers from the governor Thursday about why exploding costs of the Maui wildfire response caught his administration by surprise.
While paying millions of dollars for hotel rooms, senators also asked why tent cities or trailer parks aren’t being used.
They’re also worried about cuts to schools and other state services while paying a $1,000 a day per household for hotel rooms and other services.
After six months, many survivors complain about life in hotels with cramped conditions, lack of kitchens and limited visitors.
State Sen. Donna Kim led questioning about why the state didn’t use tent cities or trailers that FEMA has used for emergency housing after other disasters.
Maui Wildfires Disaster
When Luke Myers, co-Chair of the state Joint Housing Task force, said that “modular units are being offered,” it drew an outburst of frustration.
“You’re going to make the meeting go longer,” said Ways and Means Committee Chair Donovan Dela Cruz. “If there is no tent and no trailer just say ‘no’.”
“No, senator,” responded state Adjutant Gen. Kenneth Hara.
“Why, why aren’t we?” senators asked in unison.
“One is. Trailers are extremely costly,” Hara said.
Kim responded: “Are they more costly than $1,000 a day for a hotel?”
Myers told the committee, “There was a decision made by the governor earlier in advance not to bring in trailers.”
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Senators demanded to see what information the governor had to make that decision.
The conflict was an expression of frustration over the governor’s emergency request for $412 million immediately, which was only about $50 million until earlier in February when it when FEMA said it wasn’t going to reimburse the state to house hundreds of families in hotel rooms.
The Red Cross has a $500 million contract to house evacuees for $500 days — until July 1.
The governor agreed to increase the contract from $200 million when it became clear other housing was not coming on line as quickly as hoped.
“Why didn’t at that point the alarm bells go on and say, we gotta get a housing plan before this contract keeps going any higher?” Dela Cruz said. “We can’t afford this.”
“We just ran out of time, just everything was going wrong, because moving so fast,” Hara said.
State Budget and Finance Director Luis Salaveria said, “We are highly dependent upon executing the housing plan and moving people out of non-congregate shelters.”
The state and Maui County housing plan includes a modular home villages near Lahaina Civic center and other sites, rushing to be ready by July 1.
But in the meantime, emergency spending is already impacting the public school’s budget by about $80 million, the most of any department.
“So, one department covered almost one-third the costs?” Dela Cruz asked.
“That would be correct, yes,” Salaveria said.
“Wow,” said Dela Cruz.
State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole was particularly concerned about the cuts to the public schools.
“There are communities across the state that are going to be really, significantly impacted by this,” he said. “And we should have known earlier.”
Salaveria responded: “Completely understand.”
Keohokalole continued: “The fact is, we need the governor to be here to stop the bleeding before we’re going to be able to really provide answers to any of these hard questions.”
The committee refused to endorse the emergency spending plan, including $65 million for the One Ohana Fund for victims, until they get more information.
Until the plan is approved, the governor must continue to raid other departments to cover the costs.
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