In Case You Missed It

As state, county and federal leaders gathered to reflect on the one year mark since the devastating Maui wildfires, Gov. Josh Green, M.D. announced he signed papers to “purposefully transition” Mokuʻula from the state to Maui County for its cultural restoration.

On Aug. 7, the eve of the anniversary of the 2023 wildfires that destroyed 3,071 homes, two more families from Lahaina received keys to temporary homes at the La‘ikū housing site.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will release the first of five digitized historic Lahaina collections on its Papakilo Database on Aug. 8, 2024, one year to the day after the devastating Maui wildfires. The collection is the result of a collaborative partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Matson has committed to donating $5 million in cargo transportation services to state- and county-supported Maui recovery projects, including housing. The Ka La‘i Ola project by HomeAid Hawaiʻi, the state, Maui County and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, is the first to benefit from Matson’s assistance. HomeAid Hawai‘i and its contractors are on track to complete the first 270 units by December 2024 and the remaining 180 units by the first quarter of 2025. Starting Aug. 9, 2024, Ka La‘i Ola will be welcoming ‘ohana in phased openings. 

Like a flame-thrower fueled by hurricane-force winds, the Lahaina wildfire raced mauka to makai, reducing whatever stood in its path to smoke, ash, concrete blocks and twisted metal. Then it reached the town’s iconic Banyan Tree.

In a significant move to address the escalating food needs of the Maui community in the aftermath of last year’s devastating wildfires, Maui Food Bank and the American Red Cross have partnered to launch a new fixed distribution center, “Da Market.” This new facility, located at 48 Ulupono Street in Lahaina, spans 4,000 square feet and includes both a warehouse and market area, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for those in need.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., today announced that the first Maui wildfire survivors have moved into units in the Hale ʻO Lāʻie interim housing project (formerly the Haggai Institute) in Kīhei.

As of Friday, 1,372 residential properties in Lahaina had been cleared of ash and debris, representing 98% of the homes destroyed in the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire disaster, according to Col. Eric Swenson, Maui Wildfires Recovery Field Office commander with the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Spirits were lifted for hundreds of West Maui families this week, as Sacred Hearts School celebrated the blessing of their new temporary campus on Friday.

The first dozen or so Ka Laʻi Ola temporary housing units are nearly ready for occupancy by wildfire survivors in pre-fab, futuristic NanoNest tiny homes with curved ends and floor-to-ceiling transparent walls that take advantage of views of the ocean and West Maui Mountains.

The natural rivalry between King Kekaulike High School and Kamehameha Schools Maui on the gridiron has grown over the last three decades, but it has risen to new, unprecedented heights the last three years. “It’s built up for years now and I’ve seen this program grow from when I was small, but I think this year it is heavier than it’s ever been because we go back and forth with some of those guys,” said ‘A‘ali‘i Valle of King Kekaulike. “We’ve seen some of them at a couple clinics and we’re just, like, ‘No, we’re going to beat you guys this year.’ It’s our turn.”

Hana Hou Hospitality restaurants will be closed on Aug. 8, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfire disaster that killed 102, destroyed thousands of structures and left thousands more homeless.

To commemorate the one year mark since the Kula wildfire—and showcase how much still needs to be done to clean up from last year’s disaster—Mālama Kula, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that was formed in the wake of the Kula Fire, will be doing what they’ve been doing for 12 straight months—holding 30 consecutive volunteer cleanup days for the entire month of August.

After everything she has been through, Lahaina-native Cheira Cappal can rest assured her first year of college is penned in black ink, with only opportunity lying ahead.

“So, there’s a lot of options on the table if the county owns it. Private companies don’t get to apply for those funds,” Council Member Gabe Johnson said of the benefits of a Maui County-owned ferry system.

Two hālau from Maui brought home multiple awards from 2024 Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula competition held at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, July 25-27. The event, now in its 49th year, drew hundreds of participants from 18 hālau across the state, with the largest contingent of 57 dancers coming from Wailuku, Maui.

For possibly the first time in generations, Native Hawaiian students had a special opportunity to witness and speak to the oldest and largest known ʻōhiʻa lehua tree on Maui during this past Hālau ‘o Kapikohānaiāmālama (Summer and Extended Learning Program) at Kamehameha Schools Maui.

A fire reported early Thursday morning that burned approximately 25 acres in Waiehu mauka of Kahekili Highway near Maka’ala Drive was declared 100% contained Friday morning, Maui Fire Department officials said.

“Last year after the fire, it was chaos. … So, this year is totally welcome because we are at our home stadium, we know school is going to be here. It’s just so good to be back out here,” Lahainaluna head coach Dean Rickard said.

Maui County residents are worried, stressed by the islands’ high cost of living and four in 10 are considering giving up and moving away, according to interviews of 2,646 residents, including 1,105 directly impacted by the August 2023 wildfires.