Is someone going to "steal the land"?!, Leaving the big spectrum! The search and rescue of the Hawaiian fire is not over yet. The victims are working hard
The search for missing individuals in the wildfire disaster area of Maui Island, Hawaii, USA is still ongoing, and many residents who lost their homes in the disaster have received inquiries from real estate agencies about their intention to acquire land from the victims.
According to USA Today on the 16th, Tammy Kerrillao's house, which she had lived in for over 20 years, was destroyed by a fire, and some people she knew died in the fire. Less than a week after this tragedy, she received inquiries from real estate agencies who were interested in her acquiring the land.
This is a photo taken on August 14th in La Haina, Maui Island, Hawaii, USA, of a building and car wreckage destroyed by a wildfire. Shen Jizhong
"Why did they do this? As we all know, people died in the fire," Kerrillao told the media on the 14th. "This is unpleasant. It's rough, it's really rough."
According to reports, since the fire broke out, many real estate developers have hoped to acquire land that has been inhabited by locals for decades or even generations. Many residents receive information from real estate agencies and remind each other on social media to prevent real estate developers from taking advantage of the situation. Disaster victims are concerned that if the US government's aid and insurance payouts are not in place, local residents whose houses are burned or damaged in the fire may lose hope and ultimately choose to sell the land. This will greatly change the appearance of the community and further increase housing prices.
John Timro, who has lived on Maui Island for over 40 years and works at a high-end hotel, said that locals do not want real estate developers and wealthy people to hoard land on the island for commercial development.
This is the wreckage burned by a wildfire captured on August 14th in La Haina, Maui Island, Hawaii, USA. Shen Jizhong
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on the 14th that he has contacted the state prosecutor's office to discuss whether a ban can be imposed to temporarily freeze real estate transactions related to the destruction of houses in a fire. He said that the fire destroyed over 2200 buildings, of which 86% were residential.
He warned that it will take a long time for Maui Island to rebuild houses and achieve economic growth, and it is not appropriate to "steal land" from local residents now.
However, real estate developers seem to have not listened to these words. 67 year old local Mark Steffel said that real estate developers had contacted him and the price he offered was particularly low, it was like hitting a rock in a well.
This is the wreckage burned by a wildfire captured on August 14th in La Haina, Maui Island, Hawaii, USA. Shen Jizhong
Steffel's house was burned down in a big fire, and he and his wife were unemployed. Steffel is worried that even if the house is gone, he may still have to pay the mortgage.
Prior to the wildfire, the high housing prices on Maui Island had already caused dissatisfaction among the locals. Maui Island is a tourist destination, and its real estate has always been favored by investors, resulting in high housing prices. Local people who are born and raised are mostly employed in the tourism, hotel, and catering and entertainment industries, with lower incomes and difficulty bearing high housing prices.
The USA Today quoted federal government data, stating that the median price of houses on Maui Island is $1.2 million and the median price of apartments is $850000. Approximately 65% of the island's residents are of color, with a median annual household income of $88000.
A photo released on August 10th in Maui County, Hawaii, USA shows severe damage caused by wildfires. Shen Jizhong
After the fire, some locals who have taken out relevant insurance can still receive compensation. However, some people's houses were built very early and no insurance company was willing to insure them, making it difficult to recover losses after being destroyed by wildfires. Although some residents can apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, completing the relevant procedures may take a long time, and the funds for rebuilding houses may not be enough to pay for post disaster rental fees when they receive them.
According to CBS, some officials estimate that the cost of rebuilding the Maui community and infrastructure may exceed $5 billion, with approximately 4500 local residents needing temporary shelter during the reconstruction period.
