The recent wildfire that devastated Maui, Hawaii has led to an uproar over the lack of water equity and delayed assistance from the government.
Reports have surfaced that the West Maui Land Company, which manages several agricultural and residential subdivisions along with water jurisdictions, says that it requested water the day of the fire from the Commission On Water Resource Management but was initially denied.
🚨 Just HOURS after I began pressing the mayor of Maui SUPER hard about children missing from the fire, I began being stalked, harassed, and intimidated.
This morning at 5:45 am, about 2 mins after I started my live shot with Steve Bannon on War Room while alone in the rear of… pic.twitter.com/ZpFKWIPPoJ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 19, 2023
The Hawaiian company was denied water for several hours while the Commission on Water Resource Management consulted with local farmers. This delay has caused many to point fingers at what went wrong and criticize M. Kaleo Manuel, CWRM deputy director, who has pushed for more “water equity,” for his comments about the issue.
In response, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that Manuel had been reassigned in order to focus on assisting those affected by the tragedy.
BREAKING: Biden lands in Nevada for another vacation, still hasn't visited Maui https://t.co/JeBcV5ZptB
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 19, 2023
This reassignment does not suggest any wrongdoing on Manuel’s part according to DLNR but it is still important to consider why such delays occurred in an effort to prevent future disasters from occurring.
Meanwhile, many survivors are left picking up charred remains of their loved ones while Joe Biden continues his indifference over Maui with “no comment” as he vacations in Lake Tahoe.
REPORT: M. Kaleo Manuel, who was responsible for water management during the Maui fires, waited five hours to release water to residents who were burned alive.
During a debate last year, Manuel said water usage should be based on 'equity.'
Wokeism literally costs lives.
“Let… pic.twitter.com/at8WoPiA4p
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 19, 2023
Locals have stated that the death toll is much higher than reported—at least 480 people and morgues are running out of body bags due to the overwhelming number of casualties. Efforts from the Federal government remain minimal at best.
It is clear that these issues must be taken seriously if we are going to prevent tragedies like this one from happening again in the future. The West Maui Land Company followed protocol when requesting help yet was ultimately denied; this should serve as a warning sign indicating there are problems with our current systems and procedures that need addressing immediately before another disaster strikes again and more lives are lost unnecessarily.