I lost my home in the August wildfires, and I haven’t been able to pay the mortgage since then. Could I lose my property to foreclosure?
By Sharla Manley, Of Counsel Attorney, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) started as an anti-eviction law firm aimed at addressing the crisis of Native Hawaiians increasingly being evicted from rural areas to make way for residential and industrial developments. Originally named the “Hawaiian Coalition of Native Claims,” the organization fought against a then-new wave of dispossession from the land to make way for a boom in urban development. The disaster resulting from the August 2023 wildfires threatens to dispossess Native Hawaiians again in a place that was once the capital of the Hawaiian nation. This spring ...
How can a deceased owner sign a RoE to participate in the free Maui Wildfire Debris Removal program?
My ʻohana’s home burned down in the Lahaina wildfire. The property is owned by me and my deceased sibling. I want to sign up for the free Maui Wildfire Debris Removal program, but the county needs all owners to sign the Right-of-Entry Permit. What do I do? Do I have to participate in the debris removal program? By Liʻulā Christensen, NHLC Senior Staff Attorney The government debris removal program provides owners of homes lost in the Maui wildfires with debris removal paid for by FEMA and any insurance earmarked for debris removal. If there is no insurance, then the program ...
Ask NHLC: Questions about FEMA Aid
UPDATE: The deadline to register for FEMA aid mentioned has been further extended from November 9, 2023 to December 9, 2023. By Kirsha K.M. Durante, NHLC Litigation Director Families affected by the Maui wildfires are still in the early stages of grief and recovery. The road to healing and rebuilding will be long, and there will be many legal questions along the way. We are using this month’s column to address questions about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) because there is a fast-approaching October 10 deadline to register for FEMA aid and we know there are many in the ...
