FEMA officials staying at $1,000-per-night luxury hotels in Maui while surviving Lahaina residents suffer without housing, supplies.
The government has arrived in Maui and is there to help ... themselves to fine dining and luxurious accommodations at some of Hawaii's fanciest hotels and resorts.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are reportedly staying at $1,000-per-night luxury hotels while gorging on caviar and getting massages – all while the survivors of the Maui fire in Lahaina struggle to survive.
After its director, Deanne Criswell, begged Congress for more taxpayer cash to fund its operations, FEMA is now taking over Hawaii celebrity-style as it seeks to "help" those in need of emergency supplies and care.
Located about 45 minutes away from Lahaina, the luxury resorts where FEMA is staying are known to be frequented by celebrities and other wealthy elites. They include names like the five-star Fairmont Kea Lani, the Four Seasons, and the Grand Wailea Astoria.
FEMA says there was no other choice but to stay at Hawaii's fanciest hotels.
In a statement to the media following these revelations, FEMA tried to write it all off as just a normal part of the job in helping survivors of natural disasters find government relief.
"In the immediate aftermath of the tragic Maui wildfires, FEMA surged personnel, including hundreds of search and rescue teams, to provide relief to the survivors and support to the state and local governments as quickly as possible," the agency said.
"To complete that mission, FEMA selects hotels where all responders can be centrally located to ensure the most effective response possible. Due to the lack of available lodging, FEMA negotiated government rates, at the lowest possible cost, for staff temporarily staying in the available hotels."
Once FEMA transitions into "recovery" mode, it says its personnel will eventually "move to longer term, more affordable responder lodging as they fulfill our commitment to support Maui."
The Fairmont Kea Lani, by the way, boasts on its website that it is the "only all-suite" hotel in Hawaii. Hawaiian for "heavenly white," the Fairmont Kea Lani has been frequented by ex-James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, offering "gourmet dining" to its ultra-wealthy guests.
"The 780 rooms come with either one or two bedrooms, measuring at least 860 square feet, and have private balconies so that visitors can soak up the sunset views of what the hotel calls 'an oceanside paradise,'" reports indicate.
Over at the Four Seasons, which boasts 15 lavish acres, FEMA personnel are lounging around at the famous white fountain pool, which was once visited by Kanye West.
The Grand Wailea is another popular destination for wealthy elite, having served as the filming destination for the romantic comedy Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Nicole Kidman.
"The hotel is set on 40 acres of tropical gardens and sits right on one of Maui's most beautiful beaches, Wailea Beach," reports explain.
"And there are 100 FEMA officials staying at the four-star Marriott Wailea Beach Resort for $531 per night, a company insider said, but where rooms currently on offer to the general public start at $749."
Contrary to FEMA's claims, there are plenty of less-expensive hotels scattered throughout the area that government officials could have stayed at for far less – but why would they when American taxpayers seem to have no problem with letting their government run up a blank check for just about everything these days?
A local government official in Hawaii named "Kaleo," who chose to withhold his surname for protection, called FEMA's decision to stay at Maui's fanciest hotels "selfish," which it absolutely is.
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