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Hawaiians say gov. is too quick to rebuild as they grapple with grief

This comes as the death toll in Maui reached 114 amid search and recovery efforts.
Posted at 1:48 PM, Aug 19, 2023

Native Hawaiians and others in the west Mauitown of Lahainaclaim Governor Josh Green is too quick to rebuild as they are still in shock and morning from wildfire devastation. 

This comes as the death toll reached 114 amid search and recovery efforts.

But the Maui governor has assured residents that Lahaina will be rebuilt the way people want. He also said he will implement a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina to prevent land grabs. The details of that have not been released.

Green said Maui will take years and billions of dollars to rebuild.

"This loss we have suffered is unspeakable and devastating," Green said. "We will continue to mourn as we care for the survivors and begin to move forward together. With federal aid, we will begin a massive recovery effort to clean up and begin to rebuild the affected areas of Maui."

"We will rebuild Lahaina," Green continued. "It will take years of work and billions of dollars. But we are committed to this effort and together we will meet this challenge."

West Maui is still off limits due to search operations, but visitors are still allowed on other parts of the island and in the state.

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