[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Anniversary of the Maui Wildfires

  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, for so many people in Lahaina, next week 
marks 1 year since the worst day of their lives. They watched in horror 
as wind-whipped fires barreled into town at blistering speed and sent 
everything in their path up in flames. They saw the only homes and 
places they had ever known and lived in fall around them. And with just 
minutes to escape, they gathered whatever they could and ran for their 
lives.
  It is a testament to the generosity and camaraderie that typifies 
Hawaii that, even amid all of that panic and chaos, so many people put 
their loved ones, their neighbors, and total strangers before 
themselves. In their darkest hour, their first instinct was to provide 
help. In that moment, everyday people became eternal heroes.
  The outpouring of kindness continued far beyond those first few 
hours. As the grim and heartbreaking reality of death and destruction 
set in, people did everything that they could to ease the burden, even 
if just a little bit. Everybody pitched in--not because they were asked 
but because they saw that their ohana needed help.
  For the survivors who lost everything in an instant, no amount of 
help is ever truly enough. Mr. President, 102 people died that day; 
2,200 structures, most of them homes, flattened. More than 12,000 
residents were displaced overnight. And so the process of recovery was 
never going to be quick or easy. This was always going to be a 
yearslong effort, riddled with stubborn realities to confront and 
difficult challenges to overcome.
  And in spite of the grace and good will of the community, in spite of 
a robust Federal response since the very beginning, there is still so 
much unmet need and unfinished work. And, understandably, people are 
worried and anxious and exhausted. They are tired of having to uproot 
their families from one temporary housing unit to the next, every few 
weeks or every few months. They are tired of wondering what the future 
holds and if that future will be on Maui at all. They worry about their 
friends and their neighbors grappling with depression and post-
traumatic stress from the lingering trauma of the fires. They worry 
about their kids missing out on school and getting left behind.
  One year later, people's lives are nowhere near back to normal. 
National headlines may have moved on, but life for survivors has not. 
They still need help.
  From the very next day after the fires, following President Biden's 
disaster declaration, the Federal Government mobilized a sweeping 
recovery effort that has delivered more than $300 million in aid to 
date.
  Here in Congress, Senator Mazie Hirono, Representative Jill Tokuda, 
Representative Ed Case, and I worked with colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to deliver disaster relief funding and get survivors the help 
that they deserve.
  And while we should be clear-eyed about the long road ahead, it is 
worth, just for a moment, reflecting on the progress that has been 
made. After a year of round-the-clock work from the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, debris removal is entering the final stretch and is expected 
to be completed in the coming months. Water and wastewater services 
have been fully restored as of 2 weeks ago. And a temporary campus for 
King Kamehameha III Elementary School was built from the ground up in 
just 95 days and opened its doors to students in April.
  That progress is real. And it is the reason for hope that things can 
and will improve. But there is still so much work left to do. Housing 
remains the number one issue. Businesses still need help as tourism 
lags. And people of all ages need expanded access to mental health 
resources and other healthcare.
  Every part of the government--whether it is Federal, State, or 
county--has a responsibility to help the survivors get back on their 
feet.
  And right now, for Congress, that means passing the President's 
domestic supplemental appropriations request, which includes 
significant investments in the CDBG-DR Program; that is, Community 
Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery. CDBG-DR has, for decades, 
been the lifeline for disaster survivors across the country, giving 
them flexible, long-term assistance to rebuild their homes and their 
businesses and their neighborhoods. This is a proven program that has 
helped revive dozens of devastated communities and has to be extended 
for the survivors on Maui as they try to recover.
  For the people of Lahaina, the past year has been a year of 
uncertainty and unease; unspeakable grief and heartache; impossible 
choices; a year of what ifs and what's nexts. Nothing will ever fully 
replace the people and the things that were lost on that harrowing day 
about a year ago.
  But what we can do is be there for them as they recover, for as long 
as it takes, every step of the way. That is our responsibility, and 
that is our promise.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.