A Shocking Fact About the Maui Fire's Aftermath

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The full story is here. 

While Lahina has some unique issues (historic sites, limited resources because of its island location, the fire was so hot that some water pipes melted) and 100+ building permits have been issued, the fact is that that this rate of recovery is far too slow. As the article points out:

After Hurricane Iniki destroyed 2,000 homes on the Island of Kauai in 1992, most of those homes were rebuilt within a year. 

Kathleen and I visited Kauai just months after Iniki and things were a beehive of activity. The more we build bureaucracies and government in general, the slower things go. 

A National Disaster Review Board will be able, over time, to create best recovery practices for localities like Hawaii and California. We simply cannot afford to wait -- Congress needs to get on this issue immediately.  


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