The leader of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement reflects on a year since the Lahaina fire

Associated Press

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — In the year since the Lahaina fires on Maui, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has helped more than 6,000 families through a robust recovery project. It financially supports families who take in displaced loved ones, leases apartments for displaced survivors, runs workforce development programs to train people for cleanup and construction jobs, and builds temporary housing for families. The Associated Press spoke with the council’s CEO, Kuhio Lewis, a few weeks before the one-year anniversary of the Aug. 8, 2023 fires. He discussed how CNHA became one of the most crucial providers of housing for survivors, what program he’s most proud of, and what still worries him about Maui’s long recovery.