Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) announced that she will join the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce in a field hearing in Lahaina next week to take a closer look at the federal issues and improvements needed to help Maui continue to rebuild following last year’s August wildfires.
During the one-day hearing titled “Assessing the Federal Government’s Response to the 2023 Maui Wildfires,” Rep. Tokuda is expected to question local, state, and federal officials about the lessons learned, assess congressional action that can better support the community, and determine any changes that may be needed moving forward.
Witnesses will include:
- Mr. Bob Fenton, Regional Administrator (Region 9), Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Colonel Eric Swenson, Recovery Field Office Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Mr. Francisco Sánchez, Jr, Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, Small Business Administration
- Ms. Cheree Peterson, Deputy Regional Administrator (Region 9), Environmental Protection Agency
- The Honorable Richard Bissen, Mayor, County of Maui
- Major General Kenneth Hara, Adjutant General, Hawai‘i Department of Defense
- Ms. Lauren Nahme, Senior Vice President of the Maui Recovery Office, Hawai‘i Community Foundation
- Mr. Sne Patel, President LahainaTown Action Committee
- Mr. Keʻeaumoku Kapu, President and CEO, Nā ʻAikāne o Maui
What: Assessing the Federal Government’s Response to the 2023 Maui Wildfires
When: September 4, 2024
10 a.m. HST
Where: Lahaina Civic Center (Social Hall)
840 Honoapiilani Hwy
Lahaina, HI 96761
How: The hearing will be open to the public and media and livestreamed
at https://oversight.house.gov/
RSVP: Media wishing to attend the hearing should RSVP here.