Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, 9 months ago, the Lahaina fires took the lives of 101 people and destroyed hundreds of structures, including homes, classrooms, historic parks and features, and businesses. While we have come a long way to repair the physical damage inflicted upon our community, the trauma and emotional pain from the fires continue to take root in the lives of our Maui ``family'' ``ohana.'' First responders, disaster workers, and volunteers are on the front lines and have been there from day one, delivering physical and emotional support to our people and families during this time of crisis. While we know they often--and you heard this from the previous speaker--put the needs of others before themselves, the reality is they, too, need help dealing with the challenges and dangers that come with experiences and the things that they see every day on the job, the situations that they are faced with. I will digress a bit and tell you some stories of things that I saw in the first days, weeks, and even months after the fires. It was not uncommon for me to come across even some of the top brass in leadership of our emergency management, fire department, or police department, and they would stop me. You could see by the look in their eyes that it was very hard for them to continue as they talked about the things they saw and the experiences that they went through as victims and survivors themselves, many of them asking me: How can I go on? What do I do now? I need help, too.…”