There’s nothing like staying at a swanky vacation resort while conducting disaster relief! Government FEMA officials are reportedly enjoying $1,000-a-night luxury accommodations at Hawaiian hotels, even as the Maui fire survivors the officials are supposedly helping desperately need more aid.
The U.S. government has already been slammed for its response to the devastating fires that leveled so much of Lahaina. Joe Biden went from showing apparent indifference to a gaffe-filled and out-of-touch visit to Maui. Meanwhile, local officials are being criticized for the fact that water was not initially released against the blaze, government neglect seems to have exacerbated the risk of fire ahead of time, and the warning sirens did not go off.
The latest scandal is reported in an Aug. 22 exclusive from The UK Daily Mail accusing government officials of staying in four-star and five-star hotels, removed from the disaster zone, as fire survivors who lost everything still lack sufficient aid.
”Bungling U.S. government bureaucrats dispatched to the Maui disaster zone are shacked up in $1,000-a-night luxury hotels,” the UK outlet remarked snidely. FEMA officials have been critiqued for their slow response, The Daily Mail noted, but this new revelation shows just how out-of-touch the officials are.
The outlet asserted FEMA officials are living in three five-star establishments: Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani, and the Grand Wailea Astoria. Other FEMA officials are reportedly staying at the four-star Marriott Wailea Beach Resort, which is open to the public starting at $749 per night, though the government is reportedly getting a discounted rate of $531. The Daily Mail even provided pictures of officials at the hotels.
MauiNow announced Aug. 20 that the American Red Cross and their partners had gotten 1,800 survivors into hotels, and that only a handful of people remained in the temporary shelters. Still, many residents who lost everything, including loved ones, have lacked sufficient aid and any prospect of rebuilding. The state government is reportedly planning to buy the land, and it is unclear what would happen to it, though locals fear they will never be able to return and rebuild. Residents organized their own relief efforts in the face of government incompetence.
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Tragically, at least 114 people are dead from the fire and 1,000 more are still unaccounted for. Thousands are homeless. As The Daily Mail wryly remarked, “But that has not stopped the under-fire agency [FEMA] from splashing taxpayer cash to put up more than 1,000 of its personnel at four bank-breaking resorts in Wailea after the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. for more than a century that caused an estimated $5billion in damage.”
A local government employee identified only by his first name, Kaleo, told The Daily Mail the FEMA officials were “selfish.” In light of the resorts’ 45-minute drive from Lahaina, Kaleo questioned, “Shouldn’t they stay closer to the site, instead of staying across on the other side of the island?” Locals have furiously slammed the government for $700 “one-time” payments to survivors and reports that FEMA has blocked volunteers from bringing in aid, since only FEMA-approved aid is allowed.
The luxury hotels where officials are staying cater to the “rich and famous,” including Hollywood stars, according to The Daily Mail. The federal government rates for the five-star hotels start this week at $1000 per night, according to the outlet.
Fairmont Kea Lani describes itself as an “oceanfront paradise”. The Four Seasons claims to provide “elevated luxury at Maui’s most glamorous oceanfront resort.” The Grand Wailea calls itself “Maui’s premier luxury beachfront destination.” This is where the FEMA officials are staying at taxpayer expense while fire survivors suffer.
As usual, the government is spending taxpayer money on all the wrong things.
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