(The Lion) — Two years after wildfires ravaged Maui, killing more than 100 people, destroying businesses and leaving thousands without homes, rebuilding efforts remain frustratingly slow, and more needs to be done to keep people from abandoning the island and losing hope.

That’s the assessment from a free-market think tank calling for reforms to speed up the rebuilding process. It also wants the Hawaiian island to expand housing overall, addressing a shortage that existed before the fires.

The Grassroot Institute recently issued its third policy brief of suggested reforms since the August 2023 fires.

State and local politicians adopted some – but not all – of its previous recommendations, leading to the latest document, “Four More Ways to Speed Up Lahaina’s Wildfire Recovery.”

“Residents of the area should have been able to rebuild their lives, homes, businesses and other community structures without unreasonable delays,” writes Jonathan Helton, a Grassroot policy analyst. “But sadly, two years later, few structures have been rebuilt, and many residents remain stuck in agonizing limbo, if they haven’t already given up and moved away.

“As the clock continues to tick on how long Lahaina residents can hang on without permanent homes or businesses to which they can return, lawmakers need to act expeditiously to remove the legal barriers and craft a predictable, streamlined rebuilding process.”

Helton and the institute urge authorities to:

• Reform the county’s review process for historic properties.

• Waive or defer the county’s infrastructure-improvement assessments.

• Waive by executive order state rules that apply to rebuilding destroyed or damaged structures in Lahaina’s shoreline setback area, or use already-legal county workarounds to those rules wherever possible.

• Provide short-term tax relief for all Maui businesses and long-term tax relief for properties in the burn area.

The report highlights reforms that have worked, such as establishing an emergency permitting office and relaxing some rebuilding rules, and lists others that have not been implemented. It also adds two ways to boost housing on the island in general:

• Authorize more housing in existing residential areas.

• Allow third parties to process permits for non-rebuilding work.

The second proposal has been used in states such as Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Georgia, which allow private parties to approve or partially approve projects.

No love for Maui?

The fires generated controversy after the federal government committed $3 billion to the rebuilding effort – about half of the expected cost – while approving more than $175 billion in aid for the war in Ukraine. That prompted podcast host Joe Rogan to question why the government didn’t fully fund Maui’s recovery when it was so generous with Ukraine.

“They could have done that. Why wouldn’t they do that? I don’t understand. Those people are devastated,” Rogan said on the one-year anniversary of the fires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also faced criticism for its response to Hurricane Helene in September 2024 after it was revealed the agency spent $1.4 billion on illegal immigrants in 2023 and 2024. Congress authorized an additional $20 billion for disaster relief after FEMA said it was out of money.

FEMA was panned for giving Maui residents $700 in response to the fires. While that was merely an emergency payment to cover essentials, not the full extent of government aid, residents have struggled to rebuild because of government red tape, disputes with insurance companies and ongoing social and emotional challenges such as PTSD.

Grassroot President and CEO Keli’i Akina said he hopes authorities will consider all of the institute’s recommendations, past and present.

“Lahaina residents still struggling to rebuild deserve our best efforts to help them heal,” he wrote.

Helton acknowledged lawmakers’ work but said “much more needs to be done,” warning of dire consequences if they fail to act.

“If policymakers do not move faster to remove the legal barriers that have been blocking the rebuilding of Lahaina, the town will lose its sense of community and historic charm, and its residents will continue to move away or go homeless while its economy sputters into oblivion.”