From further along in the newsweek article the Governor of Hawaii says-
"One thing that people need to understand, especially those from far away, is that there's been a great deal of water conflict on Maui for many years," Green said during a press conference on Monday.
"It's important that we're honest about this. People have been fighting against the release of water to fight fires. I'll leave that to you to explore."
He added: "We have a difficult time on Maui and other rural areas getting enough water for houses, for our people, for any response. But it's important we start being honest. There are currently people still fighting in our state giving us water access to fight and prepare for fires even as more storms arise."
That is a pretty stinging indictment.