Question: Regarding the rental cars for sale to Maui fire survivors, are they being sold at a discount?
Answer: No. “The vehicle sales are market rate. The (state’s) coordination with the rental car companies was to ensure availability,” Shelly Kunishige, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said in an email Wednesday.
With Maui tourism in a free fall since the Aug. 8 wildfires, rental car companies have been arranging to ship unneeded vehicles off the island; thousands are stored at Kahului Airport.
Meanwhile, many survivors of the Maui fires need to replace vehicles destroyed in the inferno.
On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Green announced a “vehicle replacement program” to highlight transportation as a priority need for survivors of the disaster. A news release said the governor has worked with Avis Budget Car Rental, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Hertz to ensure that the companies make additional vehicles available for purchase on Maui.
“Interested individuals can visit www.hertzcarsales.com, or for Avis, Budget or Enterprise, reach out to any local Maui automobile dealership for more details,” the news release said.
It urged Maui residents whose cars were damaged or destroyed in the fires to contact their automobile insurers to check whether they have comprehensive coverage, also known as “other than collision,” on their automobile insurance policy. Claimants who do should submit a claim for fire or storm damage to their vehicle, it said.
“Filing a comprehensive claim as quickly as possible is recommended so you can use claim proceeds to purchase a replacement vehicle from a car dealer, a private seller or from this recently released pool of rental cars,” the news release said.
FEMA letters
The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a news release Wednesday saying that Hawaii residents who registered for assistance after the Maui wildfires will receive a determination letter from the agency.
“In some cases, the letter may say you are ineligible for assistance. This is not a denial,” it said.
Read the letter carefully. It will state the amount of assistance FEMA may provide and say how the funds can be used. It will explain your application status and tell you how to appeal FEMA’s decision, if your application was not initially approved.
“Your letter might also ask you to send additional information or supporting documentation for FEMA to continue reviewing your application,” the news release said, noting that common requests include for proof of insurance coverage, claims or denials; or for proof of identity, ownership or primary residency in the damaged home at the time of the disaster.
FEMA also had specific information for multiple families living in the same residence, saying that each family within the household may qualify for help.
“Your landlord will be required to provide a written statement or agreement that clearly says you had a lease agreement in place before the disaster. You can also provide old rent receipts, bank transactions or checks showing you paid rent to the landlord. These receipts must be dated within three months of the fires. In other words, they must be dated between May 8 and Aug. 8,” the news release said.
Anyone with questions about their FEMA determination letter can call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the news release said. For more information, see fema.gov/disaster/4724.
Thousands of Maui residents have registered with FEMA, as well as with other agencies and nonprofit organizations providing assistance.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
