Maui Emergency Management Agency taking ‘posture forward’ stance in emergency activations

The Maui Emergency Management Agency is seeking more robust resources to address a climate-change-fueled surge in emergency activations caused by frequent wildfires and severe kona low storms.

The agency’s fiscal 2027 budget requests include: six additional personnel including specialists for hazard mitigation and flood risk coordination; a request for $70,000 for consulting services to manage emerging hazards like electric vehicle battery incidents; a nearly $1 million request for hazardous fuels and vegetation removal across 1,100 acres; and the establishment of permanent offices and dedicated specialists for isolated communities like Molokaʻi and East Maui.  

During a Monday meeting of the Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, agency Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett explained that the agency is now “posture forward” by activating earlier and with more personnel to meet community needs.

High priority parcels targeted for ‘hazardous fuels’ removal

To reduce the risk of future fires, the agency has identified 10 high-priority parcels totaling 1,100 acres for “hazardous fuels” removal — the clearing of dry vegetation. One of the priority parcels is the “Cut Mountain” area of West Maui.

Lonokailua-Hewett requested nearly $1 million for these mitigation efforts, noting that clearing costs can reach $20,000 per acre in areas with dense trees.

Council Member Tamara Paltin asked if the $1 million goal of fire fuel mitigation can “realistically be achieved” in one fiscal year? “That’s our guess. That’s our estimate,” Lonokailua-Hewett said.

Council Member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins asked about fire hazards on privately owned properties, such as Piʻihana Farms in Wailuku, a hotspot for brush fires recently.

Lonokailua-Hewett said that, to address such fire threats anywhere, he needs requested funding and a comprehensive action plan that involves “the 10 priority parcels as well as the five high risk corridors and the pricing that (Council Member Paltin) is asking for to effectively take reasonable and responsible actions for all of us.”

Taking a proactive stance is in line with Mayor Richard Bissen’s 2027 budget direction of “moving from response to readiness.” The emergency agency is creating a Hazard Mitigation Section to support a Maui Wildfire Risk Reduction Program. The agency also will continue to use the “Maui Method” for the end-of-life of electric vehicle batteries. 

Kuau siren

Uʻu-Hodgins also asked about the agency’s public siren warning system and said the Kūʻau siren has not operated for years.

Without a working siren for that area, “how do you think MEMA folks are gonna best communicate with the residents of Kūʻau to let them know, you know, what’s happening, how to be safe?” she asked.

Lonokailua-Hewett said the problem is connected with funding.

“We’ve had conversations about: ‘Is there another way to get funding so we can stand up sirens in critical areas needed by our community?’ ” he said. “I’ve engaged in an ‘Adopt a Siren’ program initiative where communities could buy their own siren or fund their own siren that goes on the statewide system. That was met with opposition.”

So, he said, he’s left to follow the current process.

Emergency Operations Center

Committee Vice Chair Kauanoe Batangan asked about the agency’s long-awaited move to the agency’s Emergency Operations Center from the basement of the Kalana O Maui Building to the former Hawaiian Telcom building at the corner of Wells and Church streets in Wailuku. The move was originally expected in early April, Lonokailua-Hewett said a Spectrum cable inspection issue pushed the timeline to June. He told committee members that more furniture and technology equipment purchases are needed to stand up the new 31-person facility.

Electric vehicle batteries

Beyond weather, fire and warning sirens, the emergency response agency is managing emerging hazards like electric vehicle battery incidents. The agency is requesting $70,000 for specialized consulting to handle the safety protocols, transportation and disposal of batteries that pose a risk of fire or toxic gas.

Isolated communities

Council Member Shane Sinenci addressed the problem of residents with perishable food during extended power outages. “Is there something the department can help with acquiring the perishable foods at the stores?” he asked.

Lonokailua-Hewett said he was unaware of that exact situation, but he said his agency’s budget proposal would set aside $380,000 to support emergency activations.

“And that would be how we would support all of the communities,” he said. “The $380,000 is actually a smaller number, but whether it’s refrigeration trailers, whether it’s generators, whether it’s fuel trailers, so on and so forth, finding out and identifying what East Maui needs and all of our communities see as they’re cut off is something that we still have to explore.”

He also commended agency staff specialists who “allow us to get closer and closer to those details because we actually now have people in those communities that know the communities very well,” he said. “I’m not sure about the pressure of the food situation in specific, but the idea is to be able to support our isolated communities with resources like refrigeration and generators in (emergency) activations.”

Maui Emergency Management Agency fiscal 2027 budget details

The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes six new positions, such as a specialist dedicated to flood risk. The six positions is a 24% increase, bringing the agency to 31 employees for fiscal 2027, which begins July 1.

The agency’s overall budget is being reduced 50.3% to $54.12 million. This comes from a 55.4% reduction to the agency’s “special projects” operating budget from $104.7 million in the current fiscal year to $46.65 million in fiscal 2027.

According to Budget Director Lesley Milner, the agency’s reduced budget stems from a reduction in grant funding.

“In FY 2026, we had budgeted to receive an estimated $96,000,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Grant,” she said in an emailed response to a Maui Now query. “In FY 2027, this amount has been revised down to $40,000,000. Over the next few years, we will continue to lower this amount as anticipated FEMA reimbursement amounts decrease. This does not reflect a change or transfer of services provided by MEMA.”

Hawaiian Cultural Restoration

Council members also reviewed a bill to rename the Hawaiian Cultural Restoration Revolving Fund to the Lahaina Royal Complex Restoration Revolving Fund. Department of ʻŌiwi Resources Director Kapono’ai Molitau said the fund would be expanded to cover the entirety of the historic complex.

The site encompasses Mokoʻula, Mokuhinia and the former Kamehameha III Elementary School area. Molitau emphasized that these sacred lands deserve the highest level of respect and dedication to preserve the history of the Lahaina community.

Department of ʻŌiwi Resources officials are exploring future revenue sources for the fund, such as parking fees from structures within the complex, to ensure the long-term maintenance of the sacred sites. The agency is also pursuing federal grants to support the restoration efforts.

Department of ʻŌiwi Resources budget details

The department’s personnel request would nearly double its current staff of 14 to 27 full-time equivalent staff members, an increase of 92.9% for fiscal 2027. The proposed increase in personnel would raise salary and wages 70.2% to $1.55 million. However, the department’s overall budget expenses would drop 18.2%, mostly because of an 88.5% drop in the “services” operations line item from $1.36 million this fiscal year to $156,000 next year.

The Department of ʻŌiwi Resources was created when Maui County residents voted to pass a ballot measure in November 2022. The department officially began operations on July 1, 2024. Its mission is to implement programs to ensure proper management of ʻŌiwi cultural resources, including the Hawaiian language, place names, historical and archival materials, cultural sites, iwi and burials, and natural resources used in cultural practices.

Upcoming community meetings

Here’s the schedule for future community budget meetings, all of which begin at 6 p.m.

• April 15, Lānaʻi High & Elementary School Cafeteria, 555 Fraser Ave., Lānaʻi City.
• April 16, Kalana o Maui, Council Chamber, 8th Floor, 200 S. High St., Wailuku.
• April 17, Lahaina Civic Center, Social Hall, 1840 Honoapiʻilani Highway.