Ko e fuofua ‘api ke toe langa ‘i Kula hili ‘a e vela ‘o e vaotā ‘i ‘Aokosi 2023, na’e fakamanatu ia ‘i he ‘aho ni, ‘aho 26 ‘o Nōvema, 2024, ‘aki ha tāpuaki, ‘o fakafofonga’i ai ha toe sitepu ki mu’a ‘i he fakaakeake hili ‘a e ngaahi vela.

Hili hono fakakakato kotoa ʻo e ngaahi sivi fakaʻosí ʻi he uike kuo ʻosí, naʻe pehē ʻe he tokotaha ʻoku ʻaʻana ʻa e ʻapí ko Thomas Liu, taʻu 83, ʻe hiki ia mei ha fale nofo totongi ʻo hū ki he fale ʻoku ʻosi ʻosi ʻa e loki mohe ʻe ua, fute ʻe 860 hono lahí ʻi he māhiná ni lolotonga ia ʻoku kei hokohoko atu pē ʻa e ngāue ki hono toe langa ʻo e fale lahi ʻi hono konga kelekele ʻi he Kulalani Drive.

Lolotonga e tapuaki he ho'ata ni, na'e pehe 'e Liu ko 'ene toe langa 'oku 'ikai ko ha faka'ata ia 'o ha taha pe; ka, 'oku ne fakafofonga'i 'a e feinga 'a e komiuniti 'o e Upcountry ke nau fakatahataha mai.  

“ʻOku ʻikai ko ha taimi ia ke kātoangaʻi ai ha makamaile fakafoʻituitui, ka ko ha fakaʻilonga ʻo e kamataʻanga ʻo e fakaakeake ʻa ha komiunitī kuo maumauʻi ʻa ia kuo fuoloa ʻenau tatali ki aí,” ko e lea ia ʻa Liu ki he ngaahi kaungāʻapí, kau konituleki, kau ngāue tokoní mo e ngaahi kaungāmeʻá. “ʻAokosi 8, 2023, ʻo aʻu mai ki he ʻaho ni – kuo ʻosi ʻa e māhina ʻe 15. Naʻá ma fou fakataha ʻi heli. Naʻá ku toki moʻui pē koeʻuhí ko e ʻofa, nima-homo, angaʻofa, poupou ʻa e fāmilí, ngaahi kaungāmeʻá, kau muli mo e puleʻanga fakafederal mo fakalotofonuá.”  

ʻI hono kole faleʻi ki he kau maʻu koloa kehe ʻoku nau fekumi ke toe langa hili ʻa e velá, naʻe pehē ʻe Liu ʻoku “fakaʻauʻauhifo” mo “kātaki.”  

"ʻOku lahi fau e ngaahi meʻa kehekehe," ko ʻene leá ia. “Kuo pau ke ke lava ʻo fokotuʻutuʻu.”  

Naʻe ʻi he ʻapi ʻo e Pule Kolo ko Richard Bissen ʻi he hoʻatā Tūsité ʻi he Kulalani Drive ke fakamaloʻia ʻa Liu kimuʻa pea toki fai ha tāpuaki ʻe Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau, ko e talēkita ʻo e ʻŌfisi ʻo e Vahefonua ʻo e Ngaahi Maʻuʻanga Tokoni ʻŌiwi.   

“Ko ha toe fakaʻilonga mahuʻinga ʻeni ʻo e fakalakalaka ʻi heʻemau fakaakeaké,” ko e lau ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen. “ʻOku mahino ʻa e laumālie ʻo e tuʻumālie ʻo hotau kakai ʻo e ʻOtu Moʻungá ʻi he ʻaho ní ʻi ha toe ʻapi kuo ʻosi kakato hili ʻa e ngaahi vela fakamamahi ʻi he taʻu kuo ʻosí. ʻI he tokoni ʻa e nima lahi, kau ai ʻemau ngaahi hoa ngāue fakafederal mo fakakomiunitií, ʻoku fakamoʻoniʻi ai ʻe he kakai ʻo e koló ʻe lava ke iku ʻa e fakatapuí mo e tukupaá ki ha lavameʻa ʻoku mahulu hake ʻi heʻemau ʻamanakí.”  

Ko Liu ko e taha ia ʻo e kau fuofua maʻu koloa ke nau fou ʻi he founga toʻo ʻo e ngaahi veve, ʻa ia naʻe vahe ʻe he Potungāue Puleʻi Fakavavevave ʻa e Puleʻangá ki he Kau ʻEnisinia ʻa e Kau Tau ʻa ʻAmeliká ke nau fakahoko. Naʻe fakahū atu ʻene ngaahi kole ngofua langa kimuʻa pea toki fakaava ʻe he Vahefonua Mauí ʻene Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeaké ʻi he malumalu ʻo ʻene founga ngofua langa fakavavevavé. Naʻe ʻoatu ʻe he Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeaké ʻa e ngofua langa maʻa Liu ʻi Sune, ʻa ia ko e māhina tatau pē naʻe kamata ai ʻa e langá. Naʻe fakakakato ʻa e ngaahi sivi fakaʻosí ʻo fakafou ʻi he Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeaké.  

Ko hono tāpuakiʻi ʻo e ʻuluaki ʻapi Kula naʻe toe langá naʻe hoko ia hili ha tāpuaki ʻi he uike kuo ʻosí ʻo e ʻuluaki ʻapi ke toe langa ʻi he ʻĒlia Fakatamaki ʻo Lahainá. Ko e ongo tangata nofo Lahaina fuoloa ko Mau mo Ariel Ah Hee mo hona ongo foha kei talavou 'oku na hiki ki hona 'api 'i he Hala Komo Mai kimu'a he 'aho Fakafeta'i, 'o vave ange ia 'i he 'amanaki 'a e famili.  

Ko e ngaahi koloa ‘e 26 ‘i Kula na’e uesia ‘e he vela ‘o e vao ‘o e 2023. ‘I he ‘aho ni, kuo ‘osi ‘osi ‘oatu ‘e he Senita Ngofua Fakaakeake ‘a e ngaahi ngofua langa ‘e fā ‘i Kula. ‘Oku lolotonga toe vakai‘i ‘a e ngaahi ngofua ‘e hiva.   

Ko e toe langa ko ʻení ʻoku fakahoko ia ʻi he malumalu ʻo e founga ngofua langa fakavavevave ʻa e Vahefonua Mauí, ʻa ia naʻe fakahoko ʻi he ʻaho 11 ʻo Māʻasi, 2024, ʻo fakafou ʻi he Lao 5629. ʻOku fakalele ʻa e founga ngofua langa fakavavevavé ʻe he Potungāue Ngāue Fakalakalaka (DSA) ʻi he malumalu ʻo e Potungāue Ngāue Fakapuleʻanga ʻa e Vahefonuá. Na'e aleapau 'a e DSA mo e 4Leaf Inc. ke fakalele 'a e founga ngofua langa fakavavevave mo e County'stwoRecovery Permit Centres, 'a ia na'e fakaava 'a e 'uluaki 'i Kahului 'i he 'aho 29 'o 'Epeleli, 2024. Na'e taki 'e he DSA 'a e fetu'utaki mo e ngaahi kautaha ngofua 'a e Vahefonua mo e Siteiti ke fokotu'utu'u mo fakalelei'i 'a e ngaahi fie ma'u ngofua fakavavevave mo e ngaahi founga ngaue ke lava 'o fakahoko 'a e lavame'a 'o e buil.  

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