A pop-up village meant to house survivors of the tragic Aug. 2023 fire in Maui, Hawaii, has been held up by red tape and issues over water rights, according to organizers.
The Ohana Hope Village, a cluster of 88 pop-up modular homes spread across 10 acres of land owned in Kahului, a tourist hot spot in Maui, had been expected to house 350 fire survivors for three to five years until they could find permanent housing. Construction started within two weeks of the disaster, with the government of Hungary arranging for the transport of dozens of 8-by-20-foot modular homes that had been flown into the island on NATO aircraft.
However, more than seven months after the homes had been ready and with the number of displaced residents still at crisis level, the units continue to sit empty due to permitting obstacles and access-to-water issues, according to organizers.
Many of those who volunteered their time to help open Ohana Hope Village have grown frustrated over the glacial pace of government.
“We assumed everyone had the same sense of urgency as we did, even bureaucracies that move rather slow,” David Sellers, an architect with Hawaii Off Grid who is donating his services to the project, told the Honolulu Civil Beat. “Given the magnitude of the disaster, we thought we would be able to circumvent some of the permitting and cut through red tape.”
Mr. Sellers said that instead of making it easier to build the new housing, the county has put up additional roadblocks, requiring the village to install both a sprinkler system within the houses as well as hydrants outside, both of which are above and beyond what’s normally required for a permanent subdivision.
Kim Ball, a business owner and member of the mayor’s five-person Lahaina advisory committee told The Epoch Times that the delays have been frustrating for residents hoping to finally have some relief more than six months after the fire.
“These delays with the housing due to permits have gotten a lot of people upset,” said Mr. Ball. “We still have around 4,000 people living out of hotels, and these people need to find a home as soon as possible.”
“I know they are trying to move things along here, but no one expected it to take quite this long,” he added.
Village organizers had hoped the homes could temporarily access the 30,000 gallons of water needed daily from a privately owned line near the property. However, discussions appeared to fall through, and now contractors are exploring attempts to tap into county water.
“Everybody is frustrated,” said Mr. Ball.
The Department of Environmental Management did not return a request for comment.
The fires began spreading on Aug. 8, nearly destroying the historic town of Lahaina, with at least 97 people killed in what would become one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history. Over 100 businesses in Lahaina were destroyed, and the entire surrounding area suffered as the number of tourists and the economy plummeted.
Nearly 8,000 people had been initially displaced and were spread out over 40 hotels across Maui under the Red Cross’s sheltering program, according to the Maui News. The “safe harbor” period, during which Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance eligibility requirements do not apply, ended on Sept. 29, 2023.
The cost of housing and recovery on the island continues to plague residents and public officials.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green had budgeted $199 million towards recovery efforts but is now expecting a jump in expenses due to the greater-than-expected costs for fire survivors deemed ineligible for federal assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA pays 90 percent of the cost to house eligible survivors in hotels, while the state pays the remaining 10 percent. FEMA doesn’t share costs for ineligible survivor households. According to estimates from Maui County, the updated costs for wildfire recovery have now risen to $600 million over the next three years. The money would go toward infrastructure, housing, and emergency response costs.
Many of those displaced by the fire are also confronting an economic crisis since many of the jobs they once held have been shut down due to a lack of business, according to Mr. Ball.
“Our economy is hurting right now, bookings are down, and we need to have visitors come,” said Mr. Ball.
“Maui is still open for business and still needs a lot of help.”
