Aloha my ohana,
It was so great to see so many of you this week on island and seeing the wonderful movement forward in Lahaina Town and the hopefully start of the beginning of this next phase of you and your family’s life.
As you know we had a hearing in front of Judge Cahill on Tuesday and he granted our request to put the insurance carriers that have paid out claims in the back of the line in terms of the proposed 4.037 Billion dollar settlement from the folks that caused the fire in the first place. This is important because they were trying to take as much as 2.3 billion dollars of that money to reimburse themselves for the claims they have paid out to date. The Judge completely denied them and was emphatic that the money needs to go to you and others who were affected by this fire.
So what’s next? The Insurance carriers will likely appeal that order to the Hawaiian Supreme Court, we are hoping to fast track that appeal and think the Supreme Court of Hawaii will agree with Cahill and keep the insurers at the back of the line. That is the last domino that needs to fall to clear the way for you to collect the money owed to you under the law because of the folks that caused the fire and the suffering you have been and continue to go through.
So a good week this week and again it was so nice to be with you and start to see signs of going forward on the westside. I would like to leave you with the below poem from Angela Johnson who sent it into our office this week. We will never forget the horrors of that day and the after effects since, but we will continue to work hard to help you rebuild the life you deserve.
Call or text me anytime at 858-922-1487 and look forward to seeing you when I’m back on island in September.
Mahalo,
Andrew Van Arsdale
No One Knew
Howling like dogs the children played with the wind!
Strangely timed the children teased with its force.
Never forgotten these winds set Lahainas coarse.
Who knew a spark held the hellfire within?
Black smoke started and billowed around. and before to long escape seemed to be none.
Alarms, directions, there wasn’t a one.
The smoke turned as if alive into tunnels of fire, swirling at a rate of 60 miles per hour.
Only to be met with a wall of flame,
Screaming you better turn around and start over again.
My mind raced but I had to stay calm.
Go around that roadblock the fire rages on.
Raging with an unquenchable thirst,
Will the fires take us first?
8 cars, 8 houses, it kept moving on, the stores, the street, the ballpark lawn.
It had no mercy, it showed no remorse.
It took whole families on its course.
Nobody knows the death toll today,
But I saw hundreds trapped in its way.
My 3 year old looked and begged me please “mommy don’t let me be toast like the rest of these”.
I had a gallon of water to pour on her head told her to tighten her boots we might have to run instead.
Even to this day she remembers the heat, the heat that chased right behind our feet.
Never forget.”
