Question: I have seen stories about people who tried to retrieve cash from safes or lockboxes in their burned-out Maui homes only to find the cash had burned too. I hope they didn’t throw away any pieces. They might be able to replace the money.
Answer: The Mutilated Currency Division of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing redeems U.S. currency notes (paper money) when:
>> “Clearly more than 50% of a note identifiable as United States currency is present, along with sufficient remnants of any relevant security feature; or
>> “50% or less of a note identifiable as United States currency is present and the method of mutilation and supporting evidence demonstrate to the satisfaction of the BEP that the missing portions have been totally destroyed.”
No redemption will be made when “fragments and remnants presented are not identifiable” as U.S. currency, the BEP’s website says. It lists several other reasons why redemption will be denied, but that one seems most relevant to Maui wildfire victims, some of whom reportedly found only ashes in safes where they had stored paper money. The New York Times wrote Aug. 11 of a Lahaina couple who lost $50,000, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Friday mentioned a family that lost an undisclosed amount.
Fire is one of the most common ways currency becomes mutilated, which is defined as being “damaged to the extent that one-half or less of the original note remains, or its condition is such that its value is questionable,” the website says.
Fire victims who have any U.S. currency fragments can try to redeem them via a lengthy examination process that involves submitting the fragments to the bureau in Washington, D.C. Along with the fragments, the redemption request must include a completed and signed BEP Form 5283, mailed or hand-delivered to Bureau of Engraving and Printing; Mutilated Currency Division, Room 344A; 14th and C Streets, SW; Washington, DC 20228, the website says.
For full instructions, go to www.bep.gov .
Currency fragments deemed acceptable for redemption are replaced at face value. Processing generally takes six to 36 months. There is no fee for the service, the website says.
It’s unclear how many residential and/or commercial property owners have checked their burned Lahaina properties since the Aug. 8 wildfire, with or without permission. Some Maui residents have cited conflicting or confusing guidance about such access.
On Friday morning, the Maui Police Department issued a news release saying that “the State and Maui County Joint Information Centers want to remind the public that access to the closed area of Lahaina applies to all unauthorized personnel. … Going forward, and until further notice, there will be zero tolerance for anyone who trespasses, including residents of the affected area, the news media, and the general public, which could result in a citation or arrest. The area is not safe, and it is disrespectful for anyone to wander around without authorization.”
Maui County’s disaster update at 9:15 p.m. Friday included a health advisory “urging caution for residents and business owners who are allowed to return to their properties in the Lahaina area. Dangers include ash that may contain toxic and cancer-causing chemicals including asbestos, arsenic and lead and debris including broken glass, exposed electrical wires, nails, wood, plastics and other objects. Unstable buildings and structures may contain hazardous materials and could collapse and cause injury.”
Kokua Line had emailed Maui County, the state Joint Information Center and the governor’s office at noon Friday seeking the precise parameters of the closed area and clarity on which property owners, if any, were allowed in; we also asked about future access. The JIC said that Maui County was working on a response, but Kokua Line had not received it by Saturday morning.
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.
