STORY: Local people need to be heard for rebuilding after Maui wildfires: OHA board chair
DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:51
LOCATION: LOS ANGELES, U.S.
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the aftermath of Maui wildfires
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
3. various of the aftermath of Maui wildfires
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
5. various of supplies and aids
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
7. various of supplies and aids

STORYLINE:

Voices of local people need to be heard for discussions on the rebuilding after the devastating Maui wildfires, Carmen Hulu Lindsey, chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

The wildfires, which started on Aug. 8 and blazed through the oceanside town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui, have left at least 115 people dead, making the fires one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaii's history, and the deadliest U.S. wildfires in more than a century.

OHA, a semi-autonomous state agency, works to improve the wellbeing of Native Hawaiians through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and the funding of community programs.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
"Our Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. We are advocates for our people. And our mission is to improve the conditions of their lives. And that's when we have to come in and help them. So we were here immediately after the fires."

Since the deadly wildfires, the OHA has been coordinating efforts with the County of Maui, the State of Hawaii and federal government agencies to help local people.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
"We saw quite a few others where people are setting up like grocery stores and people come and take what they need. And no questions asked. That's how they're taking care of their people out there. And it's so admirable because our people are resilient people. It's all about helping each other. We have that tradition, that style in Hawaii. I think that's what attracts people to our shores, because our people are different. We're so full of love and this love is what helps us to help each other."

Both U.S. President Joe Biden and Hawaii Governor Josh Green have pledged to rebuild the fire-ravaged community "the way people of Maui want it built."

According to Lindsey, there used to be over 1 million Hawaiians in the state of Hawaii, but the figure has dropped drastically, as lots of people moved away before the fires because they couldn't afford the high cost of housing.

For those who want to stay and are not about to move, federal and state authorities should listen to them and make their voices heard, she stressed.

Lindsey explained to Xinhua that in Maui people's way of living in old times, they would have been protected from tragedies like this.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CARMEN HULU LINDSEY, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
"(Had we stick to) our way of life in the olden days, we would have been protected from something like this because of how we live, how we manage agriculture. So there wouldn't have been the dryness of the grass. Because that's not how we manage our lands. Our lands are usually green. And that would have really hesitated the fire. But we no longer have control over those lands. And I believe that as a result, not having the lands in our hands so that we can steward it properly was also a cause of this devastation."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Los Angeles, U.S.
(XHTV)