Working families affected by the Lahaina fire desperately need help with housing. That's the word from a Maui trucker whose family's multi-generational home was lost in the fire.
Bobby Asato works for Tri Isle Trucking and is a longtime ILWU Local 142 member. The union, along with UNITE HERE! Local 5, took part in a rally last week to draw attention to the plight of those working families.
Asato is one of thousands of Maui workers displaced by the wildfires. He's anxious to get settled again.
"Nothing's definite of getting back to Lahaina, although it's home, we really want to get back there, but we probably won't for a while," he said.
Asato is grateful that his family escaped the fire and found a rental for a year. He also owns a property in Wailuku where he can build a home, but the permit process is slow and cumbersome.
Asato worries about what will happen when his lease is up. He is talking to builders, but he has to demolish what's on the property first.
"It's unlivable because nobody's been there," Asato said.
He's also close to retirement age and worries about his family's future with so much uncertainty. The county is trying to streamline the building permit process following the fires, but Asato said it's not clear if that would apply to construction outside of Lahaina.
The Maui Recovers website says it took an average of 300 days for Maui County to issue permits in 2021 and 2022.
Asato said the stress hangs heavy going into the new year.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 28, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
