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Hopefully, some of the $2 billion in federal assistance recently granted to Maui will address some of the needs of the island's Fiipinos, many of whom remain homeless after the 2023 wildfire that devastated western Maui.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced Dec. 21 that the County of Maui will receive about $2 billion in federal assistance days after a report citing the needs of the island's Filipinos, who make up the majority of the Maui's workers, mostly serving the tourist industry.
Even before the fire that decimated Lahaina's historic downtown and the majority of the housing, Maui's workers' affordable housing was in short supply. After the fire, housing is even more scarce. Some of the workers are still living in the hotels' usually packed by tourists. Their hotel rooms are financed by FEMA up until February 2025 when the temporary residents are supposed to start paying out of pocket. Most of those workers are of Filipino descent, eothere recent immigrants or descendants of the plantatioin workers brought in in the early 20th Century and work in the tourism industry.
Initially, most of the mainstream media from the mainland focused on the plight of the Native Hawaiian community, which made up 10% of Lahaina's population. Overlooked were the Filipinos, who make up 40% of the seaside town.
“The Filipinos got somewhat marginalized in terms of advocacy,” saud Jonathan Okamura, a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at the University of Hawaii Manoa, and who grew up on Mau. “It’s kind of like what goes on in Hawaii generally with the sovereignty movement. Native Hawaiians get their ideas expressed and appreciated by non-Hawaiians in ways that Filipinos are less able to do, especially the immigrants.”
About $1.6 billion of the federal funds will be part of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding for housing on Maui and an estimated $480 million more will go towards economic development, small business loans and water infrastructure, among other needs.
The US Congress on Dec. 20 and 21 voted to allocate $1.6 billion in disaster relief through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support Maui’s efforts to rebuild homes.
The US Congress on Dec. 20 and 21 voted to allocate $1.6 billion in disaster relief through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support Maui’s efforts to rebuild homes.
Another $480 million will go to Maui for disaster recovery. Strict federal guidelines govern how the funds must be used, including requirements for comprehensive financial reporting by the County to the federal government.
In response to the news, Bissen saaid:
“We are profoundly grateful for this vital disaster relief, which will allow us to begin the critical work of rebuilding and fortifying our community after the worst wildfires this nation has seen in a century,” Bissen said. “This CDBG-DR funding will not only help our most vulnerable wildfire survivors, but also enable us to invest in projects that will make Maui County more resilient and better prepared for future challenges.”
“We are profoundly grateful for this vital disaster relief, which will allow us to begin the critical work of rebuilding and fortifying our community after the worst wildfires this nation has seen in a century,” Bissen said. “This CDBG-DR funding will not only help our most vulnerable wildfire survivors, but also enable us to invest in projects that will make Maui County more resilient and better prepared for future challenges.”
Even though Filipinos are the largest ethnic group in Maui, after the disastrous 2023 fire, many believe that their voices and needs were not being addressed. This belief led to the formation of Tagawa, the organization behind the report, Comprehensive Report on the Needs and Recovery of Filipino Survivors of the Lahaina Fires, the first research report to specifically focus on Filipino survivors of the 2023 Lahaina fires was made public Dec. 16.
Today, about one-fourth of Hawaii’s 1.4 million people are of Filipino descent, according to the 2020 US Census. However on Maui ithey account for the second-largest ethnic group on Maui, with nearly 48,000 island residents tracing their roots to the Philippines, 5,000 of them in Lahaina, which was about 40% of the town's population before thte fire.
Today, about one-fourth of Hawaii’s 1.4 million people are of Filipino descent, according to the 2020 US Census. However on Maui ithey account for the second-largest ethnic group on Maui, with nearly 48,000 island residents tracing their roots to the Philippines, 5,000 of them in Lahaina, which was about 40% of the town's population before thte fire.
"We are essentially seen and treated as a labor source, and we are in the bottom of the social hierarchy in HawaiĘ»i — there's also research about health disparities. So the condition of Filipinos is not the best — and you throw in a disaster on top of that. So that disaster exacerbates the conditions of Filipinos," Nadine Ortega, Tagnawa executive director, told Hawaii Public Radio.
As , Maui, specifically West Maui which includes the historic town of Lahaina, recovers from the disastrous 2023 wildfire that killed 115 people, many residents felt that the voices and needs of Filipino residents were not being addressed.
Many longtime Lahaina residents, including Native Hawaiians, told the AAssociated Press that in the rebuilding of Lahaina, the new housing for Filipinos and other low-income long-time residents they worry that whatever is built will be too expensive for Filipinos and other ethnic groups who made lived there.
Other concerns are cultura in naturel. For instance, about 68% of the Filipino households are multigenerational, but FEMA rules apply assistance only to "immediate" family members, which does not meet the qualifications for aid from FEMA and the Red Cross. As a result, families are broken up, causing trauma.
“What was once this big multigenerational household is now just separate smaller units and we lost the sense of community and help that our multigenerational house houses provided,” said Krizhna Bayuda, one of the people surveyed.
“What was once this big multigenerational household is now just separate smaller units and we lost the sense of community and help that our multigenerational house houses provided,” said Krizhna Bayuda, one of the people surveyed.
- English, Ilokano, and Tagalog speaking respondents reported different recovery needs and experiences. English-speaking Filipinos indicated the greatest access to basic needs and therefore prioritized housing issues higher than Ilokano and Tagalog respondents. Tagalog respondents showed the least access to basic necessities such as food, water, and household goods. Ilokano and English respondents rated housing as a higher priority than Tagalog respondents.
- Financial aid is consistently marked as a top need for Filipino survivors; in the initial needs assessment, 94% of respondents indicated they needed financial aid. One year later, when asked how they could be best supported in the recovery process, aside from housing, 38% of respondents expressed the need for financial aid.
- Ilokano and Tagalog-speaking immigrants faced language barriers and unfamiliarity with local and state government systems, exacerbating their need for translation services and advocacy.
- Families who were living in multigenerational households that were separated due to FEMA and Red Cross regulations are now struggling with the declining physical health of elders. This separation has also affected childcare with families having to make additional accommodations such as traveling across the island to drop off child/ren and elderly relatives, or they have had to stop working to take on caregiving duties.
- Despite only approximately 6% of respondents of the 1-year surveys expressing the specific need for mental health services, 33% of responses mentioned stress and traumarelated symptoms (anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, hypervigilance and intrusive memories) raising concerns for Filipino mental health with particular concern for children’s mental health.
- Youth Filipino mental health distress is a serious issue. 50% of responses indicated that school changes left Filipino children feeling isolated and emotionally distressed with some children experiencing bullying in their new schools.
- Gender-based violence is often underreported, gender-based violence data requires unique methodology to capture, and this phase of the research did not specifically focus on this sensitive data, however some respondents of the Tagnawa needs assessment survey did report unsafe housing and experiences of sexual or physical violence. These findings, while limited in scope, are deeply concerning and have prompted Tagnawa to launch a gender-focused comprehensive study as the next phase of our work.
- English language proficiency and U.S. citizenship are disaster recovery tools that many Lahaina residents did not possess. To survive, Filipino immigrants activated their indigenous values and practices of interdependency, mutual aid, generosity, expanded definitions of family and kinship, and subsistence agriculture via backyard farming.
- Filipinos and Filipino immigrants care about environmental issues and Native Hawaiian priorities, not just jobs. Job creation and Lahaina lands remaining in Lahaina hands (as opposed to outside developers and owners) were tied as the top mid- to long-term issues named by Filipino respondents. A significant number of respondents also support water as a public trust and wetlands restoration.
- In direct contradiction to Governor Green’s divisive statement on Filipinos pushing for the October 2023 reopening of West Maui tourism, 47% of Filipino fire survivors opposed the reopening of West Maui to tourism and 22% had mixed or torn feelings, expressing conditional support or reservations. Only 31% indicated support for the reopening outright, however often citing economic need.
The mayor thanks Hawai‘i US Senator Brian Schatz for his relentless efforts in securing this funding, as well as all Hawai‘i’s Congressional leaders for their continued advocacy on behalf of Maui’s wildfire survivors.
“This funding is a lifeline for our community, and I am deeply grateful to Senator (Brian) Schatz and all of our Congressional leaders for their unwavering support,” Bissen added.
“This funding is a lifeline for our community, and I am deeply grateful to Senator (Brian) Schatz and all of our Congressional leaders for their unwavering support,” Bissen added.
FYI: ;Maui residents and local stakeholders are encouraged to stay informed about ongoing recovery programs and opportunities for public engagement. For more details, please visit www.mauirecovers.org/cdbgdr.In addition to the estimated $1.6 billion in CDBG-DR funding for housing, about $480 million more will be heading to Maui, including:
- $350 million to build critical water infrastructure
- $33 million to repair roads
- At least $22 million to support economic recovery, agriculture, and conservation effort
- $19 million for child care
- At least $12 million to provide loans to impacted small businesses
To ensure the effective management of these federal funds, the County of Maui, with approval from the Maui County Council, has established a CDBG-DR Program Office within the Department of Management’s Office of Recovery. The County has spent months preparing an action plan and readiness protocols to ensure efficient roll-out and use of the funding.
“We are fully committed to working in close collaboration with state, federal and local partners in this comprehensive recovery effort,” said John Smith, incoming Administrator of the County Office of Recovery. “Together, we will build a stronger, more resilient Maui for the benefit of wildfire survivors and all residents of Maui County.”
“We are fully committed to working in close collaboration with state, federal and local partners in this comprehensive recovery effort,” said John Smith, incoming Administrator of the County Office of Recovery. “Together, we will build a stronger, more resilient Maui for the benefit of wildfire survivors and all residents of Maui County.”
“Considering the context that Lahaina is 40% Filipino," said Tagnawa director Ortega to Hawaii News Now, "there needs to be a greater consideration of the Filipino experience after the fire.”
“If it wasn’t for the Filipinos having two or three jobs, a lot of the businesses here, including the hotels, would have a hard time operating,” said Rick Nava, a community advocate and Filipino immigrant who lost his own home in the fire.
“If it wasn’t for the Filipinos having two or three jobs, a lot of the businesses here, including the hotels, would have a hard time operating,” said Rick Nava, a community advocate and Filipino immigrant who lost his own home in the fire.
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