A Hawaii resident has slammed investors, who she claims are already calling families to purchase their scorched land following raging wildfires on the island.
The woman – who posted from an account which has over 85,000 followers on Instagram under the handle kakoo_haleakala – shared a video yesterday, in which she details the alleged events.
It comes as the death toll in Maui has risen to 99, a number that is expected to increase further.
Hundreds of people have also been reported missing, with Governor Josh Green saying that a full search is ‘probably going to take 10 days’.
Private electrical companies have also come in for criticism, as some state officials say there is a shortage of water available for firefighters, which they have blamed on a recent ruling by an environmental court judge.
Filming herself in the recent video, the Hawaii resident said: ‘I am so frustrated with investors and realtors calling the families who lost their home, offering to buy their land.
‘How dare you do that to our community right now. If you are a victim and they are calling you, please get their business name so we can put them on blast,’ she added.
She claims in the clip that she ‘personally’ knows ‘multiple families’ that were ‘offered money from investors and realtors’.
The account she posted from translates from Hawaiian as ‘Support Haleakala’, referring to Haleakala, a large shield volcano, which is also known as East Maui Volcano.
Here is additional testimony of investors reaching out to residents:
Meanwhile, some state officials say there is a shortage of water available for firefighters, and they blame a recent ruling by an environmental court judge.
It is part of a long-running battle between environmentalists and private companies over the decades long practice of diverting water from East Maui streams that started during Hawaii’s sugar plantation past.
Mr Green said there are people fighting over access to water to fight fires.
‘We have a difficult time on Maui and other rural areas getting enough water for houses, for our people, for any response,’ he said.
As work continues to fully restore power, evacuees were expected to begin moving into hotels. Read more here…
