#Molokai

Some, like the sinkhole on South Kīhei Road, are expected to take several months to fix, while others may not be completed until next year as the county seeks emergency federal funding.

Two men were aboard a single-engine plane that went down approximately two miles west of Kalaupapa Airport on Molokaʻi, Monday morning. Fire officials say the men were able to exit the single engine plane and make their way to shore on their own. 

Loved ones remember her “thousand-watt smile” and “spark plug” personality. Her death puts public access to Kalaupapa in question, as she owned and sponsored the only permitted tour to the area.

Spectrum announced a donation of $6,000 to Molokaʻi Homestead Farmers Alliance through the company’s national community philanthropic program, Spectrum Employee Community Grants.

Grant funding opportunities to support student and youth travel programs for Hāna, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi are now available, according to the County of Maui Department of Economic Development. Applications open today, May 11, and must be submitted by 5 p.m. June 15, 2026.

The County of Maui Department of Housing is launching a Molokaʻi Voluntary Deed Restriction pilot program that will provide eligible homeowners with grants of up to $100,000 in exchange for voluntary 25-year deed restrictions limiting the sale of properties.

A Molokaʻi man has died following a dog attack reported Tuesday afternoon. The incident was reported at 12 p.m. on April 14 at a home on Hoʻomalu Drive in Kaunakakai.

The threat for widespread flash flooding has decreased across the Hawaiian Islands, therefore, the Flood Watch has been cancelled. However, due to lingering moisture and saturated grounds, some minor flooding may still occur in areas affected by heavy showers.

A second dead coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was found in a detection trap on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, 2026, approximately 2 miles west of Molokaʻi Airport, by staff from the Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC). This is the second CRB detection on Molokaʻi. This follows the first Molokaʻi detection of a dead CRB on April 7.

Hawai’i gas prices reached a record high this week, and Moloka’i saw some of the highest rates, recently surpassing $7 a gallon in what some say is a first in their lifetime.

A large dead insect suspected to be a coconut rhinoceros beetle was found in a trap by staff from the Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) on Tuesday morning, April 7, 2026, near Kaunakakai Harbor. Based on photographs of the specimen, it is likely a coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) and is being sent to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (HDAB) Plant Pest Control Branch on Oʻahu for official species confirmation. If confirmed to be CRB, this will be the first detection of CRB on Molokaʻi.

As part of its ongoing wildfire safety strategy, Hawaiian Electric will begin this month using unmanned aircrafts, or drones, for aerial inspections of its electrical infrastructure in identified wildfire risk areas throughout Moloka‘i. Inspections will continue through May 2026. The drones play a critical role in the inspection process in Maui County, and on Hawai‘i Island and Oʻahu as the technology enables Hawaiian Electric to more quickly identify issues to prevent or lessen the risk of wildfires.

A winter and spring of record-setting rainfall in Hawaiʻi likely is linked to record-breaking heat on the U.S. West Coast, the National Weather Service said.

In response to the March 2026 kona storms, the County of Maui is providing free hauling and disposal of storm-damaged appliances for Molokaʻi residents, according to the County Department of Environmental Management, Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division.

The County of Maui Department of Public Works is restricting general public access to Kapaʻakea Cemetery in Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi, following significant impacts from the March 2026 kona low storms.

Lahaina residents returned the favor after the Moloka’i community was among the first to respond with boatloads of emergency supplies after the fires.

Residents say more a new flood control project and better stormwater management is sorely needed.

Maui Emergency Management Agency at 7:06 and 7:12 a.m. today, March 22, 2026, issued evacuation WARNINGS for Central Molokaʻi areas of Kapaʻakea Hawaiian Homes along Kamehameha V Highway, along with Kalamaula area, west of Kaunakakai, due to flash flooding. Warnings and advisories are NOT mandatory evacuation orders.

Maui Economic Opportunity on Moloka’i has canceled all bus rides today due to hazardous conditions from the Kona storm. MEO will announce when service resumes and apologizes for any inconvenience.

In alignment with Gov. Josh Green’s directive issued on March 12 in response to severe weather conditions impacting the state, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will implement the closure of all public schools and HIDOE offices on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and in Maui County on Friday, March 13.