Lahaina Wildfire Recovery
What FEMA and USACE Didn’t Want You to See
When Lahaina burned in August 2023, the country was promised clarity: billions in recovery dollars, rapid deployment of federal assets, and accountability for how those resources were spent.
But in the months since, behind the scenes of “recovery,” a paper trail has emerged — one FEMA, USACE, and their contracting partners weren’t eager for the public to see.
Through a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed this spring, I’ve obtained and documented:
FEMA’s admission that records about their logistical deployments exist — but only if the public is willing to pay hundreds of dollars in search fees.
A 27MB file from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, finally released after weeks of delay, detailing AECOM and joint-venture contracts tied to Hawaii.
Other agencies either stonewalling (CBP) or burying requests in “on hold” status (GSA).
This is the anatomy of federal obfuscation: delay, deny, and when pressed, slap a paywall on the truth.
FEMA: “The Records Exist… But Pay Up”
After asking FEMA for records on their Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) deployments in Lahaina, the agency admitted they had responsive documents — then estimated 47 hours of search time at $616 before they would release a single page.
[Insert Screenshot/Email: FEMA fee estimate letter, June 9, 2025]
This wasn’t a denial. It was confirmation: the records exist. FEMA knows exactly where they are. But the public isn’t supposed to see them unless they’re willing to pay to play.
USACE: A 27MB Document Dump
Unlike FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers eventually produced records — after multiple volleys of emails and procedural hurdles. On June 10, I received a 27MB PDF via DoD SAFE.
The file confirms the role of AECOM’s Pacific and Atlantic joint ventures in Hawaii, including task orders and environmental impact studies linked to Pearl Harbor and beyond.
It’s evidence of the scale and complexity of the federal contracting web. And it raises questions: why did FEMA deny holding records that USACE clearly did?
CBP and GSA: The Stonewalls
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) denied outright — claiming I needed “third party consent” to even ask whether disaster-related shipments had cleared U.S. ports.
The General Services Administration (GSA), meanwhile, acknowledged receipt of my request through their online portal — and then set it to “On Hold.” No progress since.
The Bigger Picture
This wasn’t about one FOIA request or one contractor. It was about testing whether the federal government would allow the public to follow the money and logistics in the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.
The answer: only if you’re persistent, patient, and willing to push back at every step.
Along the way, the names of FEMA analysts, FOIA officers, and USACE paralegals made it clear: this isn’t a faceless bureaucracy. It’s real people making choices about whether survivors, journalists, and the public get to see how billions of tax dollars are spent.
Why This Matters
Disaster recovery has become fertile ground for disaster capitalism: federal contracts awarded in opaque processes, limited oversight, and little accountability once the money moves.
Lahaina is a textbook case. The people of Maui deserve transparency about who was paid to rebuild, how they were tasked, and whether the federal government delivered what it promised.
The public record shows something else: obfuscation, red tape, and contractors shielded from scrutiny.
Final Note
All of the emails, responses, and documents referenced here are available. Screenshots are embedded throughout this piece for verification. If FEMA and USACE won’t provide transparency, then it falls to us to do so.
The work isn’t finished — but the paper trail is clear. Lahaina deserves answers.
