Day 3: TALK STORY: State-Level Perspectives: Future-Proofing Recovery Senator Angus McKelvey and Senator Troy Hashimoto
This recovery is slow, it’s painful, and it’s costly. We need patience, and aloha, and support because we’re all in this together.” —Angus McKelvey
“We have a lot of challenges moving forward, and it’s figuring out the strategy of how we’re going to approach it. And once you get that strategy, you have to figure out how do we get it to implementation.” —Troy Hashimoto
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Disaster recovery is not just about the visible on-the-ground efforts – it also involves complex state-level decisions and coordination that can make or break a community’s rebuilding journey. Senators and state legislators play a crucial role in securing funding, navigating bureaucracy, and setting the stage for long-term resilience. Yet, their perspectives are often overlooked in the midst of the chaos.
In this discussion, Sonoma County Supervisor Elect Rebecca Hermosillo interviews Hawaii District 5 Senate Senator Troy Hashimoto and Hawaii District 6 State Senator Angus Mckelvey to unpack the unseen challenges and strategic considerations they’ve faced in supporting the Lahaina community after the devastating wildfires.
From grappling with budget constraints and insurance crises to spearheading temporary housing solutions and advocating for permanent rebuilding, these elected officials offer a unique insider’s view on the state’s role in disaster recovery. Tune in to hear their insights and learn how state-level leadership can make a lasting impact on communities in crisis.
Highlights:
- 03:01 Challenges in the Aftermath of the Fires
- 14:12 State and County Collaboration
- 17:47 Lesson Learned for Future Plans
- 21:10 Keep Moving Forward
- 26:32 Working with the Community
Twitter:
When disaster strikes, state leaders must step up. Get state-level perspectives on disaster recovery as Sonoma County Supervisor Elect Rebecca Hermosillo interviews Hawaii District 5 Senate Senator Troy Hashimoto, and Hawaii District 6 State Senator Angus Mckelvey about the complexities state leaders face in rebuilding shattered lives. #Recover #Rebuild #Reimagine #podcast #wildfire #DisasterRecovery #AfterTheFire #2024WildfireLeadershipSummit #StateLegislature #HousingCrisis #CommunityResilience #LessonsLearned #DisasterPreparedness #PublicPrivatePartnerships #FederalStateCoordination
Quotes:
04:33 “Having this community of unfortunate alumni, which we are now a part of, is giving us the tools to be able to look into the future, to know what’s coming.” —Angus McKelvey
11:18 “Some of it is county issues, some of it is state issues, but it’s an interplay. So we do have to work really closely with the county to make sure that they can achieve their goals, and we can repopulate on that area and build back better.” —Troy Hashimoto
18:03 “This recovery is slow, it’s painful, and it’s costly. We need patience, and aloha, and support because we’re all in this together.” —Angus McKelvey
20:02 “You need to make sure you know your role in these disasters. And sometimes, you have to trust the people that they know what they’re doing; they know their community best. And it’s hard because there is ego involved. They want to they want to look like they’re leading.” —Troy Hashimoto
21:38 “Only through the depths of suffering do you really get to know the people that you work for.” —Angus McKelvey
25:03 “We have a lot of challenges moving forward, and it’s figuring out the strategy of how we’re going to approach it. And once you get that strategy, you have to figure out how do we get it to implementation.” —Troy Hashimoto
27:40 “The most important thing in a disaster is to keep your personal touch with people, to keep some kind of mechanism of hope.” —Angus McKelvey
29:28 “Social media is going to be your biggest enemy because everybody thinks they’re a reporter and knows everything. Communication is key.” —Troy Hashimoto
Meet the Moderator:
Rebecca Hermosillo, Supervisor Elect, County of Sonoma
Rebecca Hermosillo is the First District Supervisor Elect for Sonoma County. With over 11 years of experience in public service, she has been instrumental in community engagement and policy implementation. Rebecca’s dedication to her community is evident through her active involvement in local organizations, including the boards of Pepperwood Preserve and Speedway Children’s Charities. Her journey from the daughter of Mexican immigrants to a prominent public servant highlights her commitment to improving the lives of those in her community
Meet the Panel:
Troy Hashimoto, Hawaii State Senator – District 5
Troy Hashimoto is a State Senator representing Central Maui, the neighboring district to Lahaina which was devastated by the recent wildfires. Prior to becoming a State Senator, Hashimoto served as the Chair of the Housing Committee in the Hawaii House of Representatives.
In his current role, Hashimoto has been deeply involved in the legislative response and recovery efforts for the Lahaina community. He has also worked to secure state funding for infrastructure rebuilding, temporary housing solutions, and long-term housing strategies in the burn zone.
Drawing on his previous experience in housing policy, Hashimoto has emphasized the critical importance of addressing the housing crisis exacerbated by the fires, in order to support the repopulation and rebuilding of Lahaina. He has worked closely with the Maui County government to coordinate the state’s recovery efforts and ensure they align with the community’s needs and long-term vision.
Angus McKelvey, Hawaii State Senator – District 6
Angus McKelvey is a State Senator in Hawaii who represents the Lahaina community, which was devastated by the recent wildfires. As a first-term senator, he has been deeply involved in the recovery and rebuilding efforts of his constituents. Senator McKelvey was personally affected by the fires and has been working closely with the local community and government officials to address the immediate needs and long-term challenges facing Lahaina. He has emphasized the importance of sustained support and patience from the state legislature as the community navigates the slow and costly recovery process. With his firsthand experience and commitment to his district, Senator McKelvey is playing a key role in guiding the state’s response and ensuring the Lahaina community is not forgotten.
Transcription:
Rebecca Hermosillo: Hi. Good morning. Thanks for being here. Thank you all for being here too. How about an introduction? Introduce yourself, and we’ll start with questions.
Angus McKelvey: I’m Senator Angus McKelvey. I have the unlucky honor, I guess, of being one of the many people who was personally affected by the Lahaina wildfires, and being with my community pretty much every day. I’m honored to be here. It’s probably the most challenging, surreal thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’m only on my first term as a state senator. I’m hopefully going to get the blessing of the community to go back. I run just Aloha everybody in the mayor’s office and their people, because the hard work really falls on them. I just want to Aloha them and everything. This has probably been the most important conference I’ve been to this summer. Sorry, guys. We go to a lot of these things. They touch upon the edges. They will not dive into the meat and bone. Exactly, Jen. So again, thank you for allowing me to use this introduction to mahalo them, because the work they’re doing is so important.
Troy Hashimoto: Good morning. My name is Troy Hashimoto. I’m a State Senator for Central Maui, so that’s the neighboring district to Lahaina. Actually, when the fire happened, I was the Chair of the Housing Committee in the House. And so I think that was my response and my responsibility at that point was to really look at some of the housing needs for Maui. I’m actually in the Senate because of the fire. My predecessor actually resigned from the Senate to take on legal cases. So he’s taking on some of the cases on behalf of people that lived on Maui. He couldn’t do both, and so he resigned from the Senate. And I took his place in the Senate in November of this past year, and I then went into the vice chair of housing. So I continued my work in the housing arena in space. I also serve on the money committee that we really oversaw a lot of the spending. I’ve actually prepared a slide to give you a taste of some of the decisions that we had to go through as we went through this past legislative session. But great to be here. I know Jennifer, she was introduced through a mutual colleague. We served on a panel once, and I think she’s been a great resource in terms of understanding what’s next. As you all know, that’s the hardest thing to predict, and you don’t know until you’re really in it. I think that is the key. Now we know that we have to pay it forward, as people are trying to understand what they have to go through after a fire. So thank you for inviting me.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Thank you. So the first question for each of you, what have been some of the biggest hurdles facing the immediate aftermath of the fires and the long term rebuild of Maui. Biggest hurdles in the immediate aftermath, and then long term challenges in rebuilding.
Angus McKelvey: I think, as my colleague here, it’s the sticker shock of the reality that the states are going to take the hits to their budgets first. So many people, even me, the feds are here. Biden promised 100% that we’re going to be taken care of. We’re going to be good. And then all of a sudden, you discover that 100% isn’t 100%. It’s 50%. If it’s even reimbursed at all. So now, our ways and mean Chair, a good friend, Donovan Dela Cruz, rightfully so was in a sheer panic of having to send a memo out to our colleagues to say, we’re going to be looking at 10% cuts to all state agencies across the entire state of Hawaii. My biggest fear, I guess, in the long term recovery is, how do we ensure that the people of Hawaii support Lahaina and Maui in the canoe that’s sinking. Because a BBC reporter told me right after the fire, what are you going to do when they all forget about you? And that’s why this is so important. Because it’ll fade and everybody moves on to the next disaster. But yet, we’re here to take care of you. I want to thank my colleague for the work the Ways and Means Committee did on being able to generate this kind of financial need. But the biggest thing which was discussed today is going forward. How do we learn from the experiences, the sad experiences of your communities? And that’s the reason why, on my own dime, I went to Marshall fire in Colorado to see a peer into the future. And that’s where I saw things like under insurance, contractors, fraud, mental illness. All of the things that we in Lahaina are dealing with. So I think that having this community of unfortunate alumni, which we are now a part of, is giving us the tools to be able to look into the future, to know what’s coming. So that’s been the challenge for me.
Troy Hashimoto: Yeah. So if we can pull up the slides real quick, what I really wanted to do is outline what the state actually did. Because when we learn from other places, it’s kind of unique what the state did in the aftermath of the response. I think a lot of times, the states are there as standby. But I think mostly because of our governor, we dove right in. And whether that was the right decision or not, I think time will tell. But I think the first thing that we really looked at was housing, and the state decided to sign a contract with the Red Cross of a $500 million contract to move everyone out of the gyms into hotel rooms. And so when we were looking back at what that cost actually was, we were calculating that it was about $1,000 a day that we’re paying for. Not only the hotel rooms, but the meals and the ancillary services. And when the Ways and Means Committee was looking back to understand what factored into that cost, it was just really murky. So I think we went in, we asked for the receipts and we got a stack of receipts. And just to go through it and to understand what we were paying for, we weren’t really sure. So that’s why it was really tough for us to get a true figure of, was it actually 500 million that we’re going to pay out? Was it more?
I think at the time, we thought it was actually going to be more, and the budget was going to be blown through. And so I think the lesson for us was, you shouldn’t go in and sign a contract if you’re the state or the county. You should let FEMA take care of it. Because then, they bear the cost. I think why we were so worried is because we had to pay the cash up front and then wait for reimbursement later. And so that was a huge concern that we had. So in addition to that $500 million contract, we did some other things. So we also are working on a global settlement for all the fire victims, and I think the state is looking to contribute about $800 million to that global settlement. So that’s coming. We have some issues with insurance companies, so we’re not sure if that’s going to get sealed. But I think that is the tentative agreement that the state’s going to put forward. We also did 65 million for infrastructure to be rebuilt in the county. We did a loan if they needed to pull on that. Obviously, the county wanted a whole lot more in this first year, but it was a push and pull between the two. I think Mayor Bissen did a really good job of trying to convince the legislature.
But I think the hard part for the Maui delegation to convince the rest of the legislature was we had this looming $500 million contract. So to convince them that we needed to give them even more money was a little bit tough this last session. And then we’re putting in $150 million for some housing solutions, for temporary housing. And so I think there’s a few slides on the temporary housing. So if you could go to the next slide, we also paid for the furniture of a school for the temporary school. So FEMA and the Army Corps put up a temporary school for us, and that was done in 95 days. And so that was a pretty big feat, but we have to pay for the ancillary costs and the furniture. So I think part of it is when we take a look at the long term strategy for what we are looking for, for housing, the state has specifically focused on a long term housing strategy on state owned parcels within the burn zone. And so I think we’re calling it a trifecta project where we had a state owned apartments building that burnt down, public housing authority apartments and a nonprofit. So we’re looking at making sure that we can get into the burn zone and start rebuilding expeditiously.
Next slide. When I talked about the state having some big issues that it was tough times going into these hearings, and the county was there, all the federal officials were there, our state emergency management folks were getting a handle on those costs, that will always be difficult. So next slide. So when we talked about the $150,000,000 in the temporary housing that we’re talking about here. So we are proposing 150 million dollars for 450 units. We invested that much. About 40 million is coming from the Hawaii Community Foundation, so at least the state’s not picking up that cost. But that is our temporary housing solution that we’re hoping will last for the next five years. So next slide. This is what it’s supposed to look like in concepts. Next slide. This is what it currently looks like. And just for some context, 40 million dollars was for the actual structures. The rest of the money, guess what that was? That was infrastructure. So that was blasting off all the rock that was putting in pipes, making sure that we had sewer, water, electricity. So very, very expensive. I think when we went back to the legislature, there were probably a lot of questions on whether that was the best investment, but I think we needed to find a state owned partial. This is where we went where the governor and his team decided that this is what we’re going to go. And that’s why it’s 150 million dollars for 450 units. So you do the math. A couple $100,000 a unit. Probably could do permanent housing at that point, but it’s temporary for five years. And why is it temporary? Because we’re borrowing water from the county to use in this site, and we have to eventually give back that water because they need it. They need to use that water for the rebuild.
Next slide, this is what it looks like. That’s when we put up the units. It’s kind of getting there. Next slide, okay, we went through this already. So next slide, we’re jumping all around so and so. These are some of the things that we are trying to figure out moving forward. It’s that long term water supply, the long term sewer supply. Because water in West Maui is the biggest issue. So when we were doing that trifecta project that I was talking about, the biggest thing that a lot of people were asking is, how can we get more dense? Because it was low rise, two, three stories. Actually, it’s two story units. So we were asked, can we ask the county if we can do three stories, four stories? Their concern is they only have a certain water allocation, and so they can’t give us an answer if we can go more dense because they don’t know if they have water. But the people that control the water allocation are actually the state. And the state is trying to figure it out, how do we get more water allocation to West Maui? And we have to either source or we have to recycle the water. So those are the big things that we are worried about.
We’re trying to figure out how to get permanent housing rebuilt. It’s not an easy thing. It’s like the 101 basics that we had before the fire. That’s still the problem now, but we still have to figure out a lot of the regional infrastructure. And so I just wanted to kind of give a rundown, an overview of some of the problems that we’re facing. Some of it is county issues, some of it is state issues, but it’s an interplay. I think the state of Hawaii is very unique because the state controls a lot of things that other states do not. A lot of times, the states delegate most of it to the counties or the cities. But in Hawaii, there’s a lot of control that’s still left with the state, so we do have to work really closely with the county to make sure that they can achieve their goals, and we can repopulate that area and build back better.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Thank you so much. You answered a portion of the next question. But if you want to deep dive a little bit more, what are the issues you’re working on at the state level to move forward rebuilding, and moving forward uplifting the Lahaina community?
Angus McKelvey: As rebuilding goes, I think for us in the state level senators, it’s very weird how the state got involved in this disaster. And I think for me, as we move past, and this is again what’s so great about this moving forward, is to return to our role of being able to fund and support the county. My friend from the department of defense calls it, they’re the tip of the spear. They’re the ones who are going to be doing the rebuild. It is upon them. It is going to really fall pretty much a lot of it. So supporting the counties through the state budget, I think, is going to be, hopefully, a really strong priority for the Maui delegation moving forward. And of course, keeping everybody to remind them that this disaster came, inflicted upon people who literally went to bed that night, not in a million years thinking that they’d be running for their lives at 11:00 o’clock at night. Kids in shopping carts, being on bicycles, woke up, pulled out of their bed. Those are the things that haunt me every day. I think it’s trying to put our personal best to our colleagues to have grace for Lahaina.
This is a long process. It’s an expensive process. We need you all to be there for us. But I know this about our community. We will be there for them. And that’s the sad thing about this fraternity that keeps growing, there’s going to be another disaster in Hawaii. You see (inaudible), people from Oahu know that area. That’s probably lining up next to be very similar to Lahaina. So I think part of what we’re doing through the work, Senators doing in the housing committee and others is to try to implement the best practices of other states to get ahead of it. I’ll put my personal plug for vegetation management and control in Oregon, and thank my Oregon friends for being here. We were up there for a conference and they said, for every dollar that you guys had put, if you could put every dollar, that 12 billion that is now being paid out into vegetation management, you wouldn’t be looking at a $12 billion tab right now. And so I think for us, it’s really going to be systematically working very closely with the county and our county council members to come up with a plan to support them to create as we rebuild, to create a town that’s safer. And I think that’s the experience that all of our friends here from the mainland offer us.
Troy Hashimoto: I think a couple things. I think some of the things that we really need to focus on is making sure that we can get this global settlement to the finish line. What was really important about the governor leading is that the county contribution is only 10 million, and that I think in a lot of discussions. At least for myself, that’s really important because they need to save their capital to rebuild and reinvest in the community. The state’s taking on 800 million mostly because we had a lot of fallow lands that we could potentially be culpable for some of the liability. And that’s why we’re putting in that much. But we also wanted to lead the settlement to make sure that it got to the finish line. And so showing our contribution pushes the other entities to put in money. But I think we have to now convince our colleagues that 800 million is what we should be putting in as a state. That’s just a proposal from the governor. And now, we have to go figure out how to get the money. So that’s going to be very important to protect the role of the county, and what they’re able to do. Of course, they’re going to get federal funds, CDBG-DR. But I think their financial stability, in my mind, is very critical.
As Senator McKelvey said, they’re going to be at the front end of the recovery and leading the recovery efforts. They have very, very difficult decisions ahead. There were a lot of structures on the shoreline which will not be able to be rebuilt just for practical reasons. The sea level rises. Across the state, we’re dealing with structures that are falling into the ocean, so why should we allow these structures to rebuild? And we know maybe in 10 to 15 years, if you do rebuild, your property might be in the ocean. And on top of that, I think part of it is we have a global insurance issue. I think a lot of you, probably here in the US mainland, are seeing insurance costs rise. We particularly are seeing that very, very much. In Hawaii as well. It’s a statewide issue for us. But in particular, Lahaina is going to be hit very hard because no one wants to insure them. So the state’s going to have to step in to figure out how to do that. And what I’ve been very fearful of is that’s what’s going to end up slowing down the recovery tremendously. Because people are going to want to get mortgages, and they’re not going to be able to get that mortgage because there’s no insurance out there. So we’re trying to figure out a solution to that on how to approach that correctly. I threw on some ideas of, let’s subsidize the insurance as the last resort. But part of it is the insurance people are telling me, you got to be careful.
Because once you start subsidizing, I think you mess up the private insurance market, which is what you eventually want to get back to. Because part of it is sometimes they offer competitive rates. Insurance is the last resort right now, at least in Hawaii. It is very, very expensive so we need to really look at that. I think we have a lot going on this coming session. Of course, the last component to that is, I think our electric company. You saw how much they’re paying. They’re in the billions of liability towards this settlement. I think their company is not even worth that much, and so they’re going to come to the legislature to ask us to bail them out. And they’re the only electric company that serves the main islands. There’s one co-op that we have in Hawaii, but we have to figure out what we’re going to do with them as well. So lots of big decisions are coming up to support the recovery and our community globally.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Thank you so much, Senators. You both have lived and breathed all of the tragedy of the fire in moving your community forward. Were there any lessons learned that you could share with other senators?
Angus McKelvey: Well, I actually brought the trauma into the building with me this last session. I’ve already shared a lot with my colleagues, and I’m glad I did. I think for us, our mission is to feel free. The Senator’s job is to convince our colleagues to understand that this recovery is slow, painful and costly. We need patience, aloha and support because we’re all in this together. When you’re an island of an island state, it’s even more poignant than ever. So I think it’s really continuing to educate our colleagues that this is a long journey. We need their support. But with that support, we’ll be able to move. I made a dire prediction with Congresswoman Tokuda back in December that this was looking like a 10 to 20 year endeavor. I want to mahalo the county again, because they’re beating the clock. And so really supporting them in that endeavor is going to be critical in the decisions we made.
Troy Hashimoto: Have to wear this lightly because it’s been very interesting with the state. The role the state has taken by choice. And I think I have to look at the Mayor because he’s been the most patient guy out there leading us through this. But I think, frankly speaking amongst friends, I think our governor was too ambitious. He made too many quick decisions that I think the county could handle. They could figure it out, they had a plan. But yet, the state, just because of perception and because of wanting to look good in the media, we just kind of took over without oversight, because it’s under emergency proclamations. And so for us in the legislature, it was very, very difficult for oversight, right? Because the governor is spending, he’s doing what he wants. And now we’re looking back and we’re saying, was that the correct decisions that were made fiscally, logistically for the future? I think even this 450 unit temporary housing that the state is leading is talking to the country guys.
It’s great to have them all here because we can talk very candidly about things that happen. And they’re thinking about repopulation, and how that connects with this temporary housing that we’re doing. And I think the way that the state did it, it may not really flow into the repopulation. I think part of it is you need to make sure that you know your role in these disasters. And sometimes, you gotta trust the people that they know what they’re doing. They know their community best. And it’s hard, because I think there are egos involved. There’s people who want to be upfront, and they want to look like they’re leading. I want to be careful at certain times. You have to trust people that they know what they’re doing, that they know their community the best. And I think from a state perspective, that’s what I’ve really taken away from this. And that’s why I say that the mayor has been patient, because I know he just wants to go out in the media and tell people what he thinks. But he has been a soldier, and he has kept his cool. And Josiah too. I’ve been very impressed with these two.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Great, thank you so much. Time for one more question, are we good? Oh, that’s so lovely. Thank you. Thank you, Senators. A pop quiz here because Jennifer gave me three questions, and we did well on time. What kept you individually moving forward as elected officials during the fires, the immensity of the need. What keeps you going?
Angus McKelvey: Everyday, be shoulder to shoulder with the people that are being affected. They know you’re a senator, and they come rolling up to you. They don’t care. Government is government. They come rolling up to me. I’m getting kicked out of the hotel, I have no place to go. Help me, my office is getting into this literally triaging of individual cases. You know what? I would not trade that experience for the world, because only through the depths of suffering do you really get to know the people that you work for. And I think that’s what drives me every day. Nobody can get left behind. If I drop dead in this job, it will be to end the diaspora effect, which seems to affect all communities. To bring people home back to Lahaina so they can rebuild their community the way it was. And quite frankly, I think with a lot of disasters, and it magnifies the problems the senator brought up that were existing before, it puts them on a hyper acceleration. Our housing situation was very well known every election. Housing, housing, housing. Now it’s in overdrive because we’ve lost 80% of the people.
As I think Josiah said yesterday, renters, including me. When we rebuilt in the district, some of the bills we passed to give the counties the ability to ADU’s. Hopefully, as we rebuild, we can bring these concepts in so we can provide the housing that’s missing. I think the one thing I want to say, because my senate president would probably kick my butt if I don’t say it. There has to be work on this group, hopefully, and really pressed on the federal government. There has to be a pathway to permanency through disasters. All of our efforts were trying to turn something that was temporary into permanent. The housing project that the center talked about is important because native Hawaiian beneficiaries, of whom are on a waiting list a mile long, could potentially utilize some of these resources while they’re on the waiting list to get their housing. Our desire has been, how do we create a pathway to permanency? How do we rebuild what was lost permanently back with the help of the federal government? I think for us, for me, the frustration is that they won’t. And I think his frustration is, there’s no investment into permanency. It’s like we’re going to build something temporary. They’re going to tear it out, and we have a pathway to permanency. Why won’t we work with HUD? Why can’t we do something? And I think our federal delegation, Congresswoman Takuda sees that point. So hopefully, through the work this group is doing and our work, we can make the changes. I think changes already are being made to FEMA because of the line of fire disaster. While it won’t help our families and our neighbors now, the next disaster will put people in a better position to get the help they need quicker.
Troy Hashimoto: I think we have a growing crisis in Hawaii. There’s more people leaving Hawaii than being born and wanting to stay. And it was happening before the fire, and it’s just been accelerated. Especially on Maui after the fire. And that, to me, is really, really heartbreaking. Because the people that you grew up with, they don’t see a future on Maui. I think they look at the housing prices that it’s skyrocketing. It’s even now, it’s going up even after the fire. And I think it’s going to be very, very expensive for people to rebuild and figure out a life after the fire. And so I think that’s why I’ve always focused on the housing space even before the fires. Because if we can figure out housing, at least, we have a shot at keeping our local people on Maui and in Hawaii. I think that is why we have to focus so much on the housing situation on Maui. But it’s complicated. Even before the fire, it was complicated. We couldn’t build much in West Maui. That was the least attractive place to build. But now, we have to do it. We have no other choice. If we want to keep these people on Maui, we’re going to have to do it. I think we have a lot of challenges moving forward, and it’s figuring out the strategy of how we’re going to approach it. And I think once you get that strategy, you have to figure out, how do we get it to implementation? And so I think a lot of it is interplay.
I think the state has some strategies, the county has some strategies, and we have to figure out how to get that all into a lineup to make sure that we can execute. Because if we don’t execute, the consequences will be dire. We won’t have an economic base. We won’t have a future for our young people. So there’s high stakes. There were already high stakes, but the stakes now are even higher. I think I will continue to focus on that. I think that the county knows all of this. I think the Mayor is very focused on repopulation quickly because of that fact. And so we want to make sure that the state supports that effort, and we bring in our resources and knowledge of how to rebuild on state property using state resources to complement what they’re doing with their CDBG-DR funds. I think we’ve got to stay motivated. Because if not, we’re going to lose a whole lot of people, which we already are. We need to stop that bleeding as quickly as possible.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Thank you so much. And I think it would be a great opportunity to tap into the resources that your offices had immediately after the fires. And then now, what type of casework constituent services did you deliver for your community that other senators could be prepared for?
Angus McKelvey: Well, we triaged. I don’t give them props. I mean, staff never gets recognized for the work they do, but the work they do is so important. And my people, there was so much outpouring. There was this huge spur of the moment dry. We had trucks from Waimanalo pouring into the Capitol. We had the whole rotunda, if you’ve seen the Hawaii State Capitol, full of donations that came. Literally pouring in within hours when people found out. You saw the footage and everything. Our office is working with our community members within every dealt with the feds, and with the assistance programs and such. I bless my staff and thank them, because just having somebody to freak out on would mean a lot to people. To call Wendy and Beth and tell them their troubles and cry. I even joke. I went to Longs Drugs and bought tissues for my staff because we were running out. But I think because of that, hopefully our colleagues will see that the most important thing in a disaster is to create that, to keep your personal touch with people, to keep some kind of mechanism of hope. Hey, you’re not alone. We get it. I think my colleagues already got that, or they really do. I want to give props to Senator Dela Cruz in several ways and means to me. Because he came rolling into my office about the state housing, and he goes, I don’t trust the gov’s numbers. We got to make this work. I am not going to sit here and watch on August 8. People whose hopes have been raised to be dashed, because there’s nothing there. And I think that to me was so awesome. Because of that kind of personal care from our colleagues, we can sustain that. I think we’ll be able to move forward through this from our level.
Troy Hashimoto: I think it’s just knowing what resources you have to provide. I think there’s going to be a lot of questions. There’s going to be a lot of venting. People are calling because they’re frustrated. Government to them is government. I think at that point, the county was overwhelmed so they start calling the state. And so you have to be able to provide. I think a lot of my offices dealings with was with constituents. We’re absorbing all of these people from West Maui to temporary housing, because their family, they were friends, right? What would they do with the schools now, because all the schools were closed down. I think just being able to respond quickly, having all the correct information, because things were changing very, very quickly at the time there.
I think there was a certain point that we didn’t have all the information in one place. But give the county props, they quickly figured out how to get that information out. Even started doing radio messages. And so I think that was solved. But it’s those first 48 hours, 72 hours, that are the toughest because there’s so much confusion. You don’t know what is correct, what is not. Especially with social media. Social media is going to be your biggest enemy, because everybody thinks they’re a reporter and knows everything. People are reading it and they’re like, no, that’s not true. It’s establishing those sources that can be trusted, and making sure that you’re proactive. That if you’re a trusted source, like a senator or the county, that you’re pushing out that info proactively. Because if not, other people are going to find information from other people that are not correct. And so I think communication is key. I think once it’s established, it’s fine. But again, it’s those first couple of days that it’s critical to make sure that you’re ready to go.
Rebecca Hermosillo: Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge.
