Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 9, 1 September 2023 — We Must Ho'omau Through the Tragedy of the Maui Wildfires [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

We Must Ho'omau Through the Tragedy of the Maui Wildfires

V LEO 'ELELE S ^ TRUSTEE MESSAGES '

"He lālā kamahele no lea lā'au kū i ka pali. A far-reaching branch of the tree standing on the cliff." A boast of a strong person who, like the tree on the cliff, ean withstand gales and pouring rain. The shock and anguish of the Maui wildfires has touchei the heart of everyone on this island, in this state, in this nation and in this world. It is almost impossible to listen to the stories of our people - of my island - and not be overcome with emotion. Today we suffer in our sorrow. Our tears flow. We pule for our 'ohana, and we mourn the many lives lost in this horrific, almost

unbelievable tragedy. Homes and businesses up in flames. The lost cultural history amid the destruction of the onee capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom brings a special sadness. But Hawaiians are a resolute people. We will endure, and we will recover. Our olelo no'eau abound with teachings of courage, of perserveranee, of steadfastness. We will embrace our Hawaiian ways of knowing, and we will ho'omau. Our ancestors instruct us to aloha kekahi i kehai, to love and take care of one another. It fills me with joy to see the myriad efforts of Kānaka bringing relief to their brothers and sisters living this nightmare. My hope is that every Hawaiian, indeed every resident of this state, contribute and aid the people of this island in a true spirit of lōkahi. These fires have affected all of us on Maui. Multiple homes burned down in Kula. At 4:00 a.m. on August 9, 1 was awakened by an emergency alert on my telephone advising me to evacuate my home in Kula because the fires were threatening my neighborhood. With no time to paek, I loaded my two dogs into my car and evacuated my home. I am blessed to have our homestead hale in Waiohuli to whieh I retreated for safety. I stayed the day and

returned to my home in Kula at 5:30 p.m. Fortunately, the winds shifted, and my home was spared. All of my family is safe. Mahalo Ke Akua! But it weighs heavily on my spirit to know that so many others in our island community were not as fortunate. The county, state and federal emergency personnel continue to work around the eloek to move toward recovery as quickly as possible. We realize that there is a perception is that OHA is not doing enough to kōkua. Our lāhui must understand that OHA is not considered a "first responder," and we are not yet allowed in Lahaina to assess the situation. We do not know where our people are staying. But rest assured, OHA will not neglect our people. I have been involved in meetings with community groups to see how OHA ean help facilitate fundraisers and donations.

For now, we assist by offering immediate help until a list of Teneficiaries affected by this devastation is made available, and :hen OHA ean offer hnaneial help. At a trustee meeting on August 17, OHA announced its intent :o allocate emergency disaster relief funds to address the Maui ivildfires (see related stories on page 4). Key points to this strat7gy include creating a low barrier process for Native Hawaiians ;o access OHA funding, and to establish a system enabling OHA to continue to provide long-term support to impacted families. In the meantime, tons of donations of household necessities and personal hygiene goods, as well as baby needs of food, formula and diapers, have been received for distribution. Clothing, sheets, blankets, and towels are also being collected. Volunteers nw in \raru>nS collection centers helping to sort the donated

items. Many people have opened their homes to weleome another family that has lost their home. The outpouring of Hawai'i's communities is so heartwarming. It is indeed the true spirit of aloha. The University of Hawai'i has organized chefs from Maui's hotels and restaurants and they are preparing 9,000 meals a day for disaster victims and responders working in the devastated areas. I am facilitating a donation of 20 cases of frozen salmon fillets from Alaska from Hawaiians fishing up there and I will have it trucked to UH Maui for these chefs to put to good use. I met with Maui entertainers who organized a livestream fundraiser on August 19 at the Grand Wailea and offered my support. I facilitated the use of the Grand Wailea Ballroom as the venue for this event, and OHA was named as a supporter of the concert whieh was covered on loeal television stations primarily KITV. Mahalo nui to John Tolbert for allowing us to use the Grand Wailea Ballroom and for providing all the equipment, food and beverages for the entertainers. And I was honored to be invited by the White House to meet U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden who traveled to Maui on August 21 to view the devastation in Lāhaina first-hand, inrloi*c onn oomiruuiihr oorlorc onn noi*fiomofa i t-\ o

meet with hrst responders and Ieaders, and participate blessing ceremony. I have also met with communities outside of Hawai'i who would like to donate money or items to kōkua affected families, and I also met with an international nonprofit that would like to qualify families for hnaneial support in the interim for rentals. We will work tirelessly to address the many needs of our people. We will continue to strategize. We will continue to seek partnerships. We will continue to fight for the people of Maui and the survivors of this unprecedented disaster. And with Ke Akua's help, we will recover and rebuild. He 'a'ali'i kū makani mai au; 'a'ohe makani nāna e kula'i. I am a wind-re-sisting 'a'ali'i plant; no gust ean push me over. ■ nrifli fircf r-ncnnr

s Carmen ' T "Hulu" e Lindsey r CHAIR ' t Trustee, Maui

Trustee Lindsey hnd the opportunity to meet President Joe Biden when he ond First Lody lill Biden troveled to Moui on August 21 to view the devostotion in Lohoino ond meet with first responders ond community leoders. - Courtesy Photo