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Residents and volunteers describe rescues and looming recovery needs; city outlines steps and funding uncertainty
Summary
Community members from Wua and Kahuku told the council they conducted lifesaving rescues, are now shifting to cleanup and rebuilding and need materials, pumps and environmental testing; city officials said debris removal is about 80% complete and that FEMA documentation is under way but funding (including a presidential disaster declaration) is not yet certain.
Residents, volunteers and neighborhood leaders told the Honolulu City Council on April 1 that community-led rescues and cleanup were essential during the March Kona low storms and that significant recovery needs remain.
Preston "Bruski" Lewis, a Wua resident who helped pull families from flooded homes, described neighbors and local farmers using personal equipment to perform rescues and begin cleanup. "We already are at the rebuilding stage," Lewis said, asking the city for lumber, drywall and tradespeople to help permanently repair homes.
Other public testifiers praised the cityfor staging resources but urged clearer, earlier public communications and local…
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