Carelle Calvan in blue T-shirt, hugs Nora Bulosan as they gather near a checkpoint in hopes to get access to their home destroyed in recent wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Hawaii’s governor vowed “to keep the land in local people’s hands” when Maui rebuilds from a deadly wildfire that incinerated a historic island community, as local schools began reopening.
Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that he had instructed the state attorney general to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina. He acknowledged the move will likely face legal challenges.
“My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab,” Green said at a news conference. “People are right now traumatized. Please do not approach them with an offer to buy their land. Do not approach their families saying they’ll be much better off if they make a deal. Because we’re not going to allow it.”
Also Wednesday, the number of dead reached 111, and Maui police said nine victims had been identified, and the families of five had been notified. A mobile morgue unit with additional coroners arrived Tuesday to help process and identify remains.
The cause of the wildfires, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, is under investigation. Hawaii is increasingly at risk from disasters, with wildfire rising fastest, according to an Associated Press analysis of FEMA records.
Since flames consumed much of Lahaina about a week ago, locals have feared that a rebuilt town could be even more oriented toward wealthy visitors, Lahaina native Richy Palalay said Saturday…
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