Lahaina Community Meeting features information on federal funds appropriated for disaster recovery

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Lahaina Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

Among the topics to be discussed is the recently announced $1.6 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds that was appropriated by Congress after the 2023 Maui wildfires. Other presentations include updates on debris clearing and sewer repairs, as well as information regarding electricity restoration from Hawaiian Electric Co.

As previously announced, community meetings will be held twice a month starting in January, one in-person and one online. The meetings will feature updates on the County’s plans for rebuilding Lahaina Town. This month’s online meeting will be held Jan. 22. Information about the meeting will be posted at www.mauirecovers.org.

Beginning with the Jan. 8 meeting, a new format will be added to the monthly in-person meetings to provide residents more individual assistance from various agencies. Representatives from several departments and agencies will be available to offer support at identified tables at the Jan. 8 meeting. They include: County of Maui’s Office of Recovery, 4Leaf, Department of Water Supply, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Planning, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers and Hawaiian Electric.

In light of the State of Hawaiʻi’s eviction moratorium’s anticipated expiration on Feb. 4, 2025, Maui Mediation Services will be present to offer information on its services and provide assistance to residents. Disaster case managers will also be available.

The meeting will be livestreamed on the County of Maui’s Facebook page; no account is needed to view. A live broadcast of the meeting will also be shown on Akakū: Maui Community Media, Channel 53.

Impacted residents and homeowners are encouraged to sign up for email and text notifications at www.mauirecovers.org/sign-up.