Replies

Posting the last of the article to preserve information before revisionists arrive and rewrite history ...

Concluding thoughts:

“We were surprised and disappointed that the County of Maui rushed to court even before completing its own investigation,” Kimura said in a news release response.

The County of Maui lawsuit alleges that the electric companies acted negligently by failing to power down its electrical equipment despite a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service the previous day, on Aug. 7. The lawsuit also alleges “failure to maintain the system and power grid, which caused the systemic failures starting three different fires on Aug. 8.”

She called the complaint “factually and legally irresponsible,” saying, “It is inconsistent with the path that we believe we should pursue as a resilient community committed and accountable to each other as well as to Hawaiʻi’s future. We continue to stand ready to work to that end with our communities and others. Unfortunately, the county’s lawsuit may leave us no choice in the legal system but to show its responsibility for what happened that day.”

Maui County’s lawsuit seeks to recover “public resource damages” including losses to public infrastructure, fire response costs, losses to revenues, increased costs, environmental damages and losses of historical or cultural landmarks.

The fires in Lahaina and Kula combined burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,200 structures. FEMA estimates that the cost to rebuild in Lahaina alone is projected at $5.52 billion.

“The county’s lawsuit distracts from the important work that needs to be done for the people of Lahaina and Maui,” said Scott Seu, president and CEO of HEI said in a news release. “Since the devastating fire in Lahaina, Hawaiian Electric’s focus has been supporting all of those who have been impacted and helping Maui recover. HEI stands with Hawaiian Electric and the community in rebuilding Lahaina and empowering a thriving future for Maui and the other islands we serve.”