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Residents in all but one of the affected homes in Zone 1C of the Maui Wildfire Disaster Area applied for and received vehicle passes to return to their properties Monday on Kaniau Road in Lahaina.

The report shows Maui lost more than $13 million of visitor spending each day in the weeks following the fire. With the planned Oct. 8 reopening of unaffected West Maui resort areas, economists are not anticipating a rush to travel, but a gradual recovery instead.

Governor Josh Green highlighted upcoming important dates involving Maui wildfire survivors as the island transitions from response to recovery. Dates include: Sept. 25 reentry begins; Sept. 26 details to be released surrounding a replacement site for Kamehameha III Elementary; Sept. 29 Safe Harbor ends; and Oct. 8 marks the formal reopening of West Maui.

Kaniau Road in Zone 1C will be the first area to be cleared for residential reentry in the Lahaina disaster area, on Monday and Tuesday next week. A vehicle pass will be required for entry, and applications will be distributed on Friday through Sunday at the Lahaina Civic Center during specified hours.

Chief John Pelletier told the Maui Police Commission the after-action report about the department’s response to the Maui wildfires will be a “dive into what went right, what went wrong and how can we improve. But it is also going to talk about some of the incredible acts that took place.”

Several benefit concerts for Maui wildfire victims are taking place this weekend, including Henry Kapono’s “We Are Friends,” a Maui Jazz and Blues Festival, Jazz Aid and “Rally Around Peace” at the Imua Discovery Gardens. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

The University of Hawaiʻi is offering full one-year scholarships to every Lahainaluna High School senior to attend any of its 10 campuses.

This brings the total number of victims publicly identified to 74 of the estimated 97 fatalities, which is down from the death toll of 115 that had been reported for more than two weeks.

Maui police revised the death toll of the individuals killed in the Aug. 8 wildfire to 97, down from previous reports of 115; and say the number of individuals unaccounted for has also dropped to 31, down from 66 last week.

The sign was created as a paid partnership between the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center and Manafacture, owners of the Na Koa Brand which also has a store at the mall. The business designed and created the sign, and Artisan Events Maui installed the work. 

To date, more than 320 Maui-residents have registered for the free program that will include certification classes in HAZWOPER, OSHA, CDL, and others. Orientation classes for the first 60 students begins today.

This year’s Maui Invitational will shift to the island of Oʻahu while its traditional home court – the Lahaina Civic Center – continues to serve as a critical hub for Maui wildfire recovery efforts. The 2023 Tournament will take place at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa from Nov. 20 to 22. 

An estimated 500 Lahainaluna High School students reported Thursday to their temporary school site at Kūlanihākoʻi High for their first day of in-person instruction. Lahainaluna students were welcomed by Kūlanihākoʻi students and staff cheering and waving signs at the drop-off area on campus.

The US House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing later this month on the deadly Maui wildfires that claimed the lives of at least 115 people, with many still unaccounted for. The Aug. 8 tragedy that wiped out five square miles of homes and businesses in Lahaina is considered the deadliest fire in modern US history.

FEMA and the US Small Business Administration have approved more than $89.25 million in federal assistance to survivors of the Maui wildfires that began Aug. 8. The last day to register for Red Cross sheltering assistance is Friday, Sept. 15. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance and a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration is Tuesday, Oct. 10. Residents who lost their job as a direct result of the Maui wildfires and live or work in Maui County have until Monday, Sept. 25, to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

When schools reopen after fall break, the immediate plan is for King Kamehameha III Elementary students and staff to share a campus with Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary while a future temporary site for the school is planned.

“Most of the 13 boats, as well as the pier they’re tied to, appear to be largely untouched by the flames of Aug. 8,” according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. “One boat, the Reel Luckey, the last name of its owners, is a metaphor for the line of white vessels, still afloat in stark contrast to the blackened landscape, buildings, and harbor structures.”

US Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned a panel of experts about how artificial intelligence (AI) has reportedly been used to spread disinformation and sow mistrust in the federal government during times of disaster, specifically in the wake of the Maui wildfires.

Free animated films featuring trolls and a singing crocodile provide family fun and are among the top 20 things to do this week on Maui. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

Kīlauea volcano is erupting. At approximately 3:15 p.m. HST on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, eruptive activity was observed in Kīlauea summit webcam images and from field reports indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.