Maui wildfires one year later: FEMA sheds light on embracing local traditions in disaster response : Maui Now [Video]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has trained close to 1,000 staff and federal partners, finding ways to embrace cultural and local traditions amid their response to the Aug. 8, 2023 Maui wildfires.

“Having an understanding of Hawaiian culture, its outlook and its behaviors, and how it manifests into our communities, was extremely important for people to know,” said Hōkūlani Holt, Maui cultural practitioner in a FEMA interview.

“FEMA has learned the nuances of its engagements, how to defer to culture and to considerations that are very locally nuanced,” said Summer Sylva, FEMA cultural protocol task force lead.

“Now, more and more people have an eye on culture in their communities,” said Mehanaokala Hind, Senior Advisor to the CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and cultural advisor to the US Army Corps of Engineers. “For the people of Lahaina, for the people of Kula, for the people of Hawaiʻi—now …