Nothing beats staying in a luxurious resort to conduct disaster relief! FEMA officials reportedly enjoy $1,000 per night luxury accommodations in Hawaiian hotels while the Maui Fire survivors they are supposed to be helping need a lot more assistance than they have received.
The U.S. Government has been heavily criticized for its response to devastating fires that destroyed so much of Lahaina. Joe Biden’s visit to Maui went from an apparent lack of concern to one that was gaffe-filled, out-of-touch, and full of mistakes. Local officials have been criticized because they did not release water to fight the fire at the beginning. Government neglect has also increased the likelihood of a fire occurring in advance. The warning sirens were not even activated.
The UK Daily Mail published an exclusive on August 22 accusing government officials that they were staying in hotels with four and five stars, far from the disaster area, while fire survivors still lacked adequate aid.
The UK outlet made a snide comment: “Bungling U.S. bureaucrats sent to the Maui catastrophe zone are huddled up in luxury hotels that cost $1,000 a night.” The Daily Mail has criticized FEMA officials for their slow response. This new revelation, however, shows how out of touch they are.
The outlet claimed that FEMA officials live in three five-star establishments. These are the Four Seasons, Fairmont Kealani, and Grand Wailea Astoria. The Daily Mail reports that other FEMA officials stay at the Marriott Wailea Resort, a four-star resort open to the general public, starting at $749 a night. However, the government receives a discounted rate of $531. The Daily Mail provided photos of the officials in their hotels.
MauiNow reported on August 20 that the American Red Cross, along with their partners, had moved 1,800 survivors to hotels and that there were only a few people left in temporary shelters. Many residents, who lost their homes, loved ones, and everything else, lack adequate aid or any hope of rebuilding. The state government plans to purchase the land. It is not clear what will happen to it. Locals are worried that they won’t be able to return to rebuild. In response to government incompetence, residents organized their own relief efforts.
Tragically, 114 people have died in the fire. Another 1,000 are still missing. The fire has left thousands homeless. The Daily Mail noted wryly, “But it hasn’t stopped the under-fired agency [FEMA] splashing taxpayer money to put up over 1,000 of its staff at four bankrupt resorts in Wailea following the deadliest fire in the U.S. in more than a hundred years that caused an estimate $5billion damage.”
The Daily Mail quoted a local employee, identified only as Kaleo by his first name. He said that FEMA officials are “selfish.” Kaleo also questioned whether the FEMA officials should have stayed closer to the disaster site.
The Daily Mail reports that the luxury hotels in which officials stay cater to the “rich and famous” including Hollywood stars. According to the outlet, the federal government’s rates for five-star hotels begin this week at $1,000 per night.
Fairmont Kea Lani calls itself an “oceanfront oasis”. Fairmont Kea Lani describes itself as an “oceanfront paradise”.
The government spends taxpayer money on the wrong things as usual.
