Council approves $5M for flood costs
At special meeting, testifiers have questions about emergency work done in the Wailuku River
The Maui County Council approved $5 million — already doled out by the county for overtime payment and disaster costs related to last months’ flooding of Wailuku River in Iao Valley — during an emergency meeting Tuesday in Council Chambers.
The council scheduled the meeting because the money was spent from this years’ budget, which was supposed to be for normal operations, and needed to be replaced immediately, county officials said. Expenses from the county departments of Water Supply, Parks and Recreation, Environmental Management’s Solid Waste Division and the Civil Defense Agency were covered in the bill.
While all council members generally agreed on approving the money, many wanted more information from the departments on what exactly took place during cleanup work and recovery efforts. Hundreds of tons of debris still remain in the river, and council members wondered where the debris was being taken and how it was being processed.
Their comments followed testimony from 32 people, including a few flood victims, residents and protesters, who demanded more transparency, accountability and coordination from county, federal and state officials responding to the flood.
Members of Hui o Na Wai Eha, a Native Hawaiian group working to get diverted water restored to West Maui Mountain streams, testified and had questions for county officials as well as Wailuku Water Co., which diverts water from the four Central Maui streams. The group claims the company’s permits to unblock intake structures inside the river are vague, and the work lacks oversight by the state Commission on Water Resource Management.
The collection of comments over the flood, which caused millions in damage to park facilities and homes, gave way to heated discussions and heartfelt words by council members. The council voted 7-2 with Council Members Elle Cochran and Don Guzman dissenting.
“I do understand we have concerns, but to put this in perspective this was an unprecedented emergency,” Council Member Gladys Baisa said. “We had water everywhere and trees and rocks rolling everywhere . . . hindsight is 20/20, but when you have a big emergency and lives are on the line, you do what you have to do.”
Baisa held back tears as she recounted her time crying and praying with the flood victims who nearly lost their homes and the efforts of first responders risking their lives to save residents.
“I think this community responded very well to the situation,” she said.
Although everything might not have been done properly, responders did their best under the circumstances, she said.
Council Member Mike Victorino recalled traveling up and down the river the day after the flood to witness the “devastation” it caused to some of his longtime family friends and lifelong valley residents. He said he pushed Mayor Alan Arakawa and his administration to place police at the entrance to the valley after residents reported looting and people dumping their garbage outside their homes the day after the flood.
Victorino noted that Tuesday’s meeting was “getting too convoluted” with the complaints about Wailuku Water Co., which he believes is a separate problem. He said he is aware of the hui’s argument, but it was not before council members.
“We’re not talking about that,” he said. “We’re talking what needed to be done, and these people did it. They put their lives on the line.
“I support this because this was action to mitigate and save lives and property along that river.”
However, Cochran argued that issues regarding the county’s actions and coordination with the flood would not have been brought up “if it weren’t for the people speaking out.” She said she was not taking away from the sacrifices and hard work the county undertook in the emergency, but she stands on the “questions people had all throughout.”
Guzman questioned the county’s emergency response, but he commended first responders for helping flood victims as well as county workers for clearing out debris basins to prevent future flooding. He pointed to a lack of coordination by county employees, private companies and private property owners in cleanup efforts. He said he believed the county should have cultural advisers and a communicator who can update the public in emergencies.
“It would’ve been nice to see a master plan as to what each entity was planning to do,” he said. “It would’ve avoided a lot of confusion and panic attacks.”
The council’s Budget and Finance Committee is expecting to take up a bill for another $5.3 million for reconstruction efforts and continued debris removal from Iao Valley, county officials said.
Victorino serves as Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee chairman, and he said he plans to review the county’s response to the flood, including who was making the decisions and how the plan was coordinated.
“Now we have experience,” he said. “In the future, if it were to happen again, we’ll have a cohesive plan, working together and making sure no one is adversely impacted.”
* Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.