Public Invited to Review Maui Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

County of Maui / CHRIS SUGIDONO file photo
Firefighters Nikolai Reuss (from left), Jake Souki and Cory Palmeira prepare for a hazardous materials exercise near Kahului Airport.

The public is invited to review and comment on the Maui Emergency Management Agency’s update to the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan to address threats such as wildfires, beach erosion and highway rockslides.

Comments are due Aug. 12, 2020. The Hazard Mitigation Plan Update can be found, with a link to a comment form, at https://www.mauicounty.gov/1832/Multi-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan.

The plan serves as a strategy for reducing current and future risks in the County. It enables the County to leverage federal funding sources to prevent damages from natural hazards such as hurricanes, wildfires and floods.

The mission of the Maui County Hazard Mitigation Plan is to: Protect people, the environment, the local economy, and infrastructure from natural hazards and climate change.

The Maui County Hazard Mitigation Plan also addresses infectious disease and pandemics as part of the Public Health Hazard. In alignment with the State Hazard Mitigation Plan and federal hazard mitigation requirements, public health concerns are recognized. The Maui County Hazard Mitigation Plan provides an opportunity for County officials and the public to recommend potential mitigation measures. The mitigation plan remains under development and recognizes COVID-19 as a new public health hazard.

With support of a consulting team led by Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC, the Maui Emergency Management Agency formed a Steering Committee of County Leaders to inform the update process. The Steering Committee met four times, and Team members interviewed a dozen key stakeholders. Public meetings were held in Hāna and Central Maui, on Molokaʻi and via Zoom.

For more information about the Hazard Mitigation Plan, contact Anthony Joyce, PhD, Hazard Mitigation Officer, Maui Emergency Management Agency, at (808) 270-7286 or send email to Anthony.joyce@mauicounty.gov. Information also is available at https://www.mauicounty.gov/1832/Multi-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan.