U.S. government bureaucrats dispatched to the Maui disaster zone are shacked up in $1,000-a-night luxury hotels on the Hawaiian island.
via: Radar Online
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s five-star accommodations for their officials in Maui has led to criticism as one insider called it “selfish,” RadarOnline.com has learned.
“Shouldn’t they stay closer to the site, instead of staying across on the other side of the island?” a local government employee said, according to a new report.
FEMA teams have checked in at three luxury hotels, including the Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons, and the Grand Wailea Astoria which is known to attract A-listers. The latter of which was notably the filming site for the 2011 romantic comedy Just Go With It.
Current rates at all three resorts start at a whopping $1,000, company sources told DailyMail.com in their new report, a vast difference from the shelters and temporary housing where displaced wildfire victims are staying for the time being.
“The sad part is that federal government officials no longer care how this looks because federal agencies are now accountable to no one,” one commenter vented.
New photos showed FEMA officials at the cocktail bar at the Grand Wailea hotel on August 18, and the following day, one was seen at the registration desk. RadarOnline.com has reached out to a FEMA representative for comment.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell previously spoke out about the massive damage caused by the Maui wildfires ahead of President Joe Biden’s arrival with wife Jill.
“I think the biggest thing is, he’s going to be able to see what I saw when I went to Maui last week and just really experience the complete and utter devastation that this town had experienced,” Criswell said during an appearance on ABC.
She noted that Biden was “also going to be able to talk with people and hear their stories and provide a sense of hope and assurance that the federal government is going to be with them as he has directed, and we will continue to bring in resources to support the requests of the governor and their needs as they go through the recovery process.”
Criswell said their efforts will continue, explaining how they have already handed out “over $8 million to families that have been impacted and registered for assistance with FEMA.”
She went on to reveal the shelter population was going down, with many residents having since been moved into hotels, motels, and other types of short-term rentals.
Criswell said their plan to aid residents was in motion, adding, “And then as we continue to work with the governor and his team, working with each of these individuals, each of these families, to help them with what their longer-term strategy is going to be and where they’re going to stay while they are making plans for what they’re going to do to rebuild.”
