Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center departs to Washington D.C. to demand Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina

A Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center has departed to Washington D.C. where they will demand that Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina. 

HWC leads the Lahaina delegation, joining alongside Organizing Resilience’s coalition of community members of disaster affected areas from all over the country including North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Louisiana and more.

The Hawaiʻi coalition, including the Hawaiʻi Workers Center, Roots Reborn, Kaibigan Ng Lahaina, Lahaina Strong, and Tagnawa for Maui, is demanding long-term rebuilding funds in the form of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funding.

HWC is demanding that Congress releases long-term rebuilding funds for Lahaina and all other communities impacted by the 2023 and 2024 disaster seasons. The groups are asking for continued help from FEMA to repair homes and provide temporary housing while communities rebuild. They are also seeking improvements to the federal disaster recovery system.

More than 80% of Lahaina are renters, meaning these recovery funds are crucial to working class residents, according to organizers. “Lahaina’s working class people deserve a just and equitable recovery; long term recovery funding will ensure this is possible,” organizers said.