Hawaii Governor Josh Green issued a warning to investors and realtors that have approached Maui residents in an effort to purchase their land that has been damaged by the devastating wildfires on the island.
"I've reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed," Green said in a press release. "Moreover, I would caution people that it's going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here."
The remarks by the Hawaii governor come shortly after claims surfaced on social media from Maui residents who said that they were contacted by relators and investors interested in purchasing their land as wildfires continue to rage.
On Sunday, the Kāko'o Haleakalā organization posted a video on Instagram criticizing these investors and realtors, who were not named. "If you are a victim and they are calling you, please get their name, get their business name, so we can put them on blast," a member of the organization said in the video.
While speaking with NBC News, Maui resident Tiare Lawrence mentioned the calls that residents have received and said, "This is disgusting...Lahaina is not for sale."
On Monday, officials in Maui County provided an update on the different active wildfires on the island. The Upcountry/Kula fire, which is around 678 acres in size, is currently 65 percent contained and the Lahaina fire has grown to around 2,170 acres and is currently 85 percent contained.
The update said that the Maui Police Department confirmed 99 fatalities due to the wildfires and that three of the victims have been identified: "Their names will be released after their families are notified. About 25% of the area has been searched," according to the update.
Maui County officials also said on Sunday that at least 19 homes have been destroyed by the Upcountry/Kula fire while many other homes were also damaged by the fires.
In his press release, Governor Green also noted that the Hawaiian government would like to invest in state resources to preserve land for their residents and not for development.
"I'll also tell you that this is going to impact how we view, because of tragedy, how we view all of the development in our state. And much of what we do, is challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that don't let us restrict who can buy in our state," the governor said.
"But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and that's what we're doing. So for my part I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lāhainā should be in the future."
Newsweek reached out to the governor's office via email for further comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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