Hawaii Official Accused of Refusing to Release Water During Maui Fires Once Obama Foundation Leader

M. Kaleo Manuel, the Hawaii official accused of refusing to release water resources to firefighters and landowners to battle the Maui fires, was named an Obama Foundation “leader” in 2019.

Manuel, former deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, reportedly waited over five hours to release water at a critical juncture on August 8th during the fire.

“Amid the controversy, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has moved water deputy Kaleo Manuel to a different position,” KITV writes.

In a 2022 livestream hosted by the University of Hawaii, Manuel said to “let water connect us and not divide us.”

“We’ve become used to looking at water as something which we use and not necessarily something that we revere,” Manuel said.

“We can share it, but it requires true conversations about equity,” he added.

WATCH:

Here is M. Kaleo Manuel, the Hawaii water official who refused to release water resources and let landowners fight the Maui fire, explaining his "philosophy" about water:

"Native Hawaiians treated water as one of the earthly manifestations of a god…We've become used to looking… pic.twitter.com/hjsWqdVtxf

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 17, 2023

“Kaleo is the Deputy Director of the State of Hawaiʻi Commission on Water Resource Management. He believes that ancient wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge of native peoples will help save the Earth. Kaleo is passionate about elevating native and indigenous ways of knowing in all spheres of discourse and dialogue,” Manuel’s Obama Foundation profile reads.

The New York Post reports:

A former Obama Foundation leader — part of a program by the former President’s non-profit to help participants with coaching and “practical skill building for social change” — Manuel said he considered water an important tool for social justice.

Manuel was transferred to another position within the Department of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday, according to Honolulu Civil Beat, which first reported the story of the delay.

The West Maui Land Company said in an Aug. 10 letter to Manuel that his commission refused its request to divert streams to fill landowners’ reservoirs in the hard-hit Lahaina area until the wildfires raged out of control, according to a report.

Sources told Honolulu Civil Beat that Manuel had asked the company to consult with a local farmer about the impact of water diversion before approving their request.

“We watched the devastation around us without the ability to help,” said the company in the letter. “We anxiously awaited the morning knowing that we could have made more water available to MFD [Maui Fire Department] if our request had been immediately approved.”

“Kaleo is one of 200 inaugural Obama Leaders representing the Asia-Pacific region with the Obama Foundation,” Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources website writes.

Manuel isn’t the only Hawaii official facing scrutiny for the Maui fire response.

Maui Emergency Operations Chief Herman Andaya said he had no regrets about not sounding the sirens of Maui’s first-class Emergency Warning System to alert residents of the raging fires.

Maui Emergency Operations Chief Herman Andaya says he does not regret not sounding the sirens during the devastating wildfires:

“The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the sirens sounded … If that was the case, then they would've gone into the fire." pic.twitter.com/0FpPhuI4hK

— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2023

Maui Emergency Operations Chief Gives ABSURD Reason For Not Sounding The Sirens