A resolution recognizing and honoring the first responders and those who lost their lives in the Maui wildfires in August 2023 that affected thousands of people.

Bill: 118-sres-392
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-09-30
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Fires

First responders and emergency personnel

Forests, forestry, trees

Hawaii
Latest action: action_date: 2023-09-30
text: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4895; text: CR S4893)

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-09-30
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This resolution honors the people who lost their lives in the August 2023 wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui and recognizes the first responders who risked their lives to respond to the wildfires.</p><p>Further, the resolution urges the people and communities of Hawaii and the United States to act diligently in preventing and preparing for wildfires.</p>

action_date: 2023-09-30
action_desc: Passed House
text: <p>This resolution honors the people who lost their lives in the August 2023 wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui and recognizes the first responders who risked their lives to respond to the wildfires.</p><p>Further, the resolution urges the people and communities of Hawaii and the United States to act diligently in preventing and preparing for wildfires.</p>

tv_txt: III 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 392 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 30 (legislative day, September 22), 2023 Ms. Hirono (for herself and Mr. Schatz ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing and honoring the first responders and those who lost their lives in the Maui wildfires in August 2023 that affected thousands of people.

Whereas, on August 8, 2023, a series of wildfires, fueled by abnormally strong winds from Hurricane Dora and a high-pressure system in the North Pacific Ocean, broke out on the Island of Maui; Whereas almost 7,000 acres of land in the Lahaina area in West Maui and the Olinda, Kula, and Pulehu-Kihei areas of Upcountry Maui burned as a result of the wildfires; Whereas, as of August 2023, the wildfire that occurred in the historic town of Lahaina in West Maui is the deadliest wildfire to have occurred in the United States in more than a century and 1 of the worst natural disasters in the history of Hawaii; Whereas, as of September 15, 2023, 97 fatalities from the wildfires have been confirmed, and as of September 22, 2023, 22 people remain officially unaccounted for; Whereas more than 7,000 people have been displaced by the wildfires; Whereas approximately 2,200 structures have been damaged or destroyed by the wildfires; Whereas more than 1,900 homes burned down by the wildfires; Whereas brave people raced into the wildfires to save their community while their own homes burned to the ground; Whereas nearly 1,000 businesses were destroyed by the wildfires; Whereas 4 schools were impacted by the wildfires, 1 of which, King Kamehameha III Elementary School, was damaged beyond repair, displacing hundreds of staff members and thousands of students; Whereas it is estimated that billions of dollars will be necessary to repair the damaged areas in West Maui; Whereas Lahaina was the one-time capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii and still has great cultural and historical significance, particularly to the Native Hawaiian community; Whereas additional Federal, State, and local emergency personnel, including law enforcement and medical personnel, coordinated with local authorities and have performed beyond the call of duty in the preservation and protection of human lives; Whereas hundreds of volunteers gave their time to help ensure that evacuees were sheltered, clothed, fed, and emotionally comforted through the traumatic event; and Whereas people across the United States and around the world responded with an outpouring of support for the people of Maui: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) honors the people who lost their lives in the deadly wildfires on Maui; (2) recognizes the efforts and sacrifices of the first responders who risked their lives to respond to the wildfires; (3) honors the bravery and heroism of the people who have provided assistance and continue to respond to the wildfires; (4) expresses full support for the communities of West and Upcountry Maui, as those communities focus on recovering and rebuilding areas and communities affected by wildfires; (5) urges the people and communities of Hawaii and the United States to act diligently in preventing and preparing for wildfires; and (6) encourages the people of the United States to keep in their thoughts the individuals who have suffered as a result of the wildfires.