County to Update Hazard Mitigation Plan, Seeking Input

Firebreak road fire scene on Maui. (12.25.19) PC: Maui Fire Department.

The Maui Emergency Management Agency is updating the countyʻs Hazard Mitigation Plan to address threats like wildfires, significant beach erosion and highway rockslides.

Amid developing updates, county officials are asking the public for feedback in identifying solutions to the problems associated with natural hazards.

The general public is encouraged to contribute to the hazard mitigation plan by filling out a survey and attending the meetings posted below:

• February 3, 9 a.m., Maui County Council Climate Action and Resilience Committee, Council Chambers; public testimony welcome.
• Feb. 4, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Kahului Community Center
• Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mitchell Pauole Center, Moloka’i
• Feb. 6, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Helene Hall, Hana

More public meetings will be offered throughout the County in the coming months.

Officials hope the Hazard Mitigation Plan will serve as a blueprint for a more resilient and sustainable future for the County of Maui.

The plan looks at how the County can lessen the impact of natural hazards such as wildfires, tropical storms and erosion on all three islands. This includes projects such as strengthening school buildings to serve as shelters during hurricanes, adding generators to critical facilities for backup power, and developing tsunami evacuation routes.

Once approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the county will be eligible for pre- and post-disaster mitigation project grant funding through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and other non-emergency disaster assistance.

With support of a consulting team led by Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC, Maui Emergency Management Agency has formed a Steering Committee of County Leaders to inform the update process.

Team members have also developed a community-driven project approach that includes interviewing key stakeholders, hosting public meetings, distributing a public preparedness survey and review of the draft plan.

The Steering Committee held its first meeting on December 10, 2019, and plans to hold a second meeting on February 4, 2020. The Planning Team interviewed a dozen stakeholders in December, included but not limited to, the Maui County Planning Department, the Maui Visitor’s Bureau the Maui County Department of Public Works, and the chief executive officer of Feed My Sheep and chair of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

For more information, contact Anthony Joyce, PhD, Hazard Mitigation Officer, at (808) 270-7286 or send email to [email protected] or click here.