Naʻe fakahoko ha tāpuaki ʻi he Falaité ʻi he fuofua ʻapi ke toe langa pea paasi ʻa e ngaahi sivi fakaʻosi kotoa pē ʻi he ʻĒlia Fakatamaki ʻo Lahaina, ʻo fakaʻilongaʻi ai ha makamaile ʻi he feinga fakaakeake talu mei he vela ʻa Lahaina ʻi ʻAokosi 2023.

ʻOku palani ʻa e ongo tangata ʻo Lahaina ko Mau mo ʻAlieli ʻA Hee mo hona ongo foha kei talavoú ke na hiki ʻi he māhináni ni ki he ʻapi loki mohe ʻe tolu, falekaukau ʻe ua, ʻa ia naʻe paasi ʻene ngaahi sivi fakaʻosí ʻi he pongipongi Falaité. Hili hono maʻu ha ngofua langa ʻo fakafou ʻi he Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeake ʻo e Vahefonua Mauí ʻo ʻoatu ha ngofua fakavavevave ki he ngaahi nofoʻanga naʻe uesia ʻe he afí, naʻe kamata hono langa ʻo e ʻapi sikuea fute ʻe 1,200 ʻi Siulai.

Lolotonga e tāpuakí, naʻe pehē ʻe ʻAlieli ʻA Hee ʻokú ne houngaʻia mo monūʻia mo hono fāmilí ʻi heʻenau hiki ki ʻapí.  

“Naʻe ʻikai ke u loto ke fekauʻaki pē ʻa e ʻaho ko ʻení mo kimautolu,” ko ʻene leá ia ki ha kiʻi fakatahaʻanga ʻo e ngaahi kaungāmeʻá, fāmilí mo e mītiá. “ʻOku ʻi ai haʻaku lisi lōloa ʻo e kakai ke fakamālō ki aí . . . ko e kakai kotoa pe na'a nau loto fiemalie ke tokoni, ko e kakai kotoa pe na'a nau foaki mai kiate kimautolu, pea mo e komiuniti kotoa 'o Lahaina, he'ikai ke mau 'i heni ka ne ta'e'oua 'a kimoutolu. Fakamālō atu ʻoku ʻikai lava ke fakamatalaʻi.”  

Naʻe feʻunga mo ha māhina ʻe ono hono toe langa ʻo e ʻapi ʻo e fāmilí, ʻo fakatatau kia ʻAlieli ʻA Hee Naʻe fie maʻu ʻe he ngaahi ngofuá ha māhina ʻe ua nai pea naʻe māhina ʻe fā ʻa e langa mo e tokotaha aleapau fakalotofonua ko Derrick Montalvo.  

Naʻe pehē ʻe ʻAlieli ʻA Hi, “Naʻe ʻikai ke u ʻiloʻi ʻe ʻaukai pehē ʻeni.” “Naʻá ku fakakaukau ʻo ʻikai siʻi hifo ʻi he taʻu ʻe ua ki he tolu. Ko e mo'oni 'oku tau 'i heni kimu'a he 'aho Fakafeta'i na'e vao . . . Na'a mau kei kole tokoni pe pea na'e tokoni'i kimautolu 'e he kakai kotoa ko 'eni. ʻOku lahi fau e ngaahi maʻuʻanga tokoni ʻi tuʻá.”  

Naʻe ʻi he ʻapi ʻi he Hala Komo Mai ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Richard Bissen ʻi he hoʻatā Falaité ke fakamaloʻiaʻi e fāmili ʻAh Hee 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 e fuofua sitepu ʻeni ki hono ʻomi homau kakaí ki ʻapi ki Lahaina,” ko e lau ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen. “ʻOku ou houngaʻia lahi ʻi he vave ange ʻa e hoko ʻa e makamaile ko ʻení ʻi he meʻa ne mau ʻamanaki ki aí. Ko e fakamoʻoni ia ki he laumālie ʻo e tuʻumālie kuo hā mahino ʻi Lahaina pea mo e ngāue mateaki ʻa e tokolahi, kau ai ʻetau ngaahi hoa ngāue fakafederal mo fakakomiuniti, pea pehē ki he tukupā taʻe-ueʻia ʻa hotau koló. Kuo mau fakahaaʻi fakataha ʻi heʻemau fāʻūtaha mo e fakapapaú, te mau lava ʻo fakalaka ʻi he meʻa ne mau ʻamanaki ki aí.”  

Naʻe pehē ʻe Molitau ko e kau Ah Hee ʻohana, ʻa ia ʻoku fuoloa ʻenau fetuʻutaki mo Maui Hihifó, ko e kau folau vakapuna mo e kakai waʻa. Ko e tamai ʻa Maú, ko ʻĒpalahame “Ngata” ʻA Hee, ko e taha ia ʻo e kau ʻuluaki kau ngāue ʻo e Hōkūleʻa.  

“ʻOku mahuʻinga ʻaupito ʻa e ngaahi hingoa ko iá ʻo aʻu mai ki he ʻahó ni,” ko Molitau ia. “ʻOku mau vakai ki he ʻapí ni ko ha hoku paʻa, ko ha fetuʻu tokelau, ʻi he taimi ʻoku fakaʻuli atu ai ʻa e tokotaha kotoa pē, ko ha maama ia ʻo e ʻamanaki leleí, ko ha maama ʻo ha fakamanatu ʻoku ʻi ai ha tupulaki foʻou.”  

ʻI he pongipongi Falaité, kuo laka hake ʻi he ngofua langa ʻe 254 ʻa e Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeaké pea ʻoku laka hake ʻi he ngaahi ʻapi ʻe 120 ʻoku lolotonga toe langa ʻi he ngaahi feituʻu naʻe uesia ʻe he velá ʻi Lahaina mo Kula. ‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a e ngaahi kole ngofua ‘e 264 ‘oku lolotonga vakai’i.  

Na’e pehē ‘e Ariel Ah Hee lolotonga ‘a e tāpuaki ko ‘ene fale’i lahi taha ki he kau ma’u koloa kehe ‘oku nau feinga ke toe langa, ke nau ma’u ha fetu’utaki lelei mo ‘enau konituleki, ‘uhila mo e palama.  

Naʻá ne pehē mai, “Fakapauʻi ʻokú ke falala kiate kinautolu pea talanoa mo kinautolu.”  

Ko e toe langa ko ʻení ʻoku fakahoko ia ʻi he malumalu ʻo e founga ngofua langa fakavavevave ʻa e Vahefonua Mauiʻé, 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 pea mo e ongo Senitā Ngofua Fakaakeake ‘a e Vahefonuá, ‘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 fakangofua ‘a e Vahefonuá mo e Siteití ke fokotu’utu’u mo fakalelei’i ‘a e ngaahi fiema’u mo e ngaahi founga fakangofua fakavavevave ‘o hono fakahoko ‘o e buil.  

“Ko e fakamoʻoni ki he fuofua toe langa ʻosi ʻi Lahaina ko ha lavameʻa lahi ia mo ha makamaile ki he komiunitī kotoa,” ko e lau ia ʻa Jennifer Gray Thompson, ko e CEO ʻo e kautaha ʻikai fakatupu paʻanga ko e After the Fire USA, ʻa ia ʻokú ne poupouʻi ʻa e ngaahi komiunitī ʻoku nau fakaakeake mei he vela ʻo e vaotaá. “ʻOku mahuʻinga ʻaupito ki he komiunitií ke nau sio ki he ngaahi meʻa fakaʻata ʻo e fakalakalaká mo e ʻamanaki leleí. Ko e Maui megafire ko e fakatamaki faingata'a taha ia kuo u ngaue ki ai, pea 'oku lahi ange 'a e fakalakalaka 'i he 'amanaki 'i he taimi ko 'eni. Ko homau loto mo e talamonu 'oku 'i he famili 'o Ah Hee. Ko ha meʻaʻofa mo ha fatongia ke hoko ko e ʻuluaki maama hili ha vahaʻataimi fakapoʻuli mo faingataʻa ʻaupito.”

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