[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      HONORING THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA'S MAUI RECOVERY SUPPORT TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 18, 2024

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a team 
of public servants from the City of Santa Rosa all of whom traveled to 
and continue to support local and Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA) recovery efforts in Maui, Hawaii following the tragic wildfires 
of August 2023. The team includes Division Chief--Fire Marshall Paul 
Lowenthal, Deputy Director of Water and Sewer Operations Joe Schiavone, 
Chief Building Officer Jesse Oswald, Marin Water Communications and 
Public Affairs Officer Adriane Mertens and Programmer--Analyst Jake 
Bayless. I have named the team as a Public Safety Hero of the Year from 
Sonoma County in California's 4th District as a result of their 
extraordinary selflessness, dedication and service to others.
  While people across our nation watched in horror as a wildfire 
engulfed Lahaina, many in our district found the sight sickeningly 
familiar. Just a few years prior in 2017, the Tubbs Fire swept through 
Santa Rosa destroying thousands of homes and taking twenty-two lives. 
Our community has hard-won wisdom when it comes to recovering from 
wildfire.
  So, when FEMA Region IX Administrator Robert Fenton called Santa Rosa 
to ask for their expertise, these extraordinary public servants 
answered. Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Schiavone, Mr. Oswald, Ms. Mertens, and 
Mr. Bayless landed in Maui on August 27, 2023. Over the coming months, 
the team provided extensive technical guidance in debris removal, 
information recovery, public communications, sewer service restoration, 
water service restoration and the development of Maui's official 
recovery web portal: mauirecovers.org.
  Mr. Lowenthal has been to Maui four times since the fire and 
continues to consult Maui County's Department of Water Supply, 
Department of Public Works, and numerous other agencies on recovery. 
Mr. Bayless helped convert key digital resources for survivors 
including our own community's sonomacountyrecovers.org. into the new 
mauirecovers.org. The website now serves as the official clearinghouse 
for Maui fire survivors seeking recovery information and services. Ms. 
Mertens provided over two months of public information support and 
provided technical guidance on the development of mauirecovers.org. Mr. 
Schiavone continues to work with Maui drinking and wastewater and was 
critical to the testing, flushing and restoration of water services. 
Mr. Oswald helped develop damage assessments and a rebuilding 
framework. He continues to consult Maui County Development Services 
Administration on recovery plan implementation and permitting process.
  Mr. Speaker, we thank this team of exemplary civil servants for their 
persistence, service and commitment to our nation. Therefore, it is 
fitting and proper that we honor them here today.

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