Virtual Climate Change Town Hall for South Maui Scheduled for June 3

The Maui County Planning Department will hold a virtual climate change “town hall” meeting from 4:30 to 6 pm on Thursday, June 3, via live stream on the department’s We Are South Maui Facebook page.

The town hall is an opportunity for the public to learn about how climate change is affecting the South Maui community and the strategies to deal with those effects that could be included in the South Maui Community Plan.

“The effects of climate change are a problem throughout our state, but Maui’s coastal communities are on the front lines,” Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said. “We are fortunate to have a strong team of experts here on Maui who can help the community understand climate change better and help us write a plan that addresses these issues for future generations.”

Expert panelists at the town hall will include:

• Tara Owens, Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist, University of Hawai’i Sea Grant
• Diego Sanchez Gomez, Floodplain Administrator, Maui County Department of Planning
• Gina Albanese, Civil Defense Staff Specialist, Maui Emergency Management Agency
• Makale’a Ane, Environmental Coordinator, Maui County Mayor’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency

“Our knowledge and understanding of climate change are significantly different compared to when the previous community plan was adopted in 1998,” Planning Department Director Michele McLean said. “With this town hall, we are hoping to share this information with South Maui residents and get their input on how to address this issue during the community plan update.”

The public can access the live stream at www.facebook.com/wearesouthmaui at the time of the event. A Facebook account is not required to view the live stream. Participants with a Facebook account will be able to ask questions of the panel using the comment section under the live stream. Participants without a Facebook account can send their questions to wearesouthmaui@mauicounty.gov after the live stream starts.

For more information on the South Maui Community Plan update process, visit the project website — southmaui.wearemaui.org — or follow us on Facebook or Instagram @wearesouthmaui. For general planning information, visit www.mauicounty.gov/planning.