In Case You Missed It

“If we can understand them, understand their behavior and what they’re doing, then it can tell us a lot about some of the changes that are taking place in the ocean. The whales are amazing themselves, but they’re even more valuable when we think about them as these, basically, indicators of ocean health.” — Marc Lammers, research ecologist with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Epic Swim Maui’s Andy Donaldson, John Kalemakali’i Clark, Ryan Leong and Stefan Reinke are still able to become the first to successfully complete the circumnavigation of Maui.

Maui County Council members unanimously approved today a resolution authorizing a global settlement of all wildfire litigation filed against the county for wrongful deaths, injuries and property damage stemming from the Aug. 8-9 wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry.

The Hawai‘i State Board of Education (Board) today approved the Hawai‘i State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) recommendation to grant a waiver that would allow for the closures of the Lahaina public schools on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires. 

“We don’t have club water polo, so I just kind of saw the need for these athletes to continue and to introduce new athletes to the sport so that we’re not so far behind as we move into the high school seasons,” said Shawn Donohue, former Baldwin High School girls water polo coach.

Hawaiian Electric recently installed the first camera station in Lahaina and has plans to deploy a total of 78 stations in elevated fire risk areas on the five islands served by the company, with each location having two cameras to provide a full 360-degree view. The camera feeds will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“There’s very, very traditional ways to fight fire. And with the weather that we’re facing now, we have to sometimes think outside the box, how it’s going to impact communities faster,” Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura said.

With the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina and Upcountry wildfires drawing near, business owners are pausing to reflect on their resilience and ability to withstand adversity, including losses of life, property and livelihood.

Firefighters battling the Haleakalā Crater Road fire have been challenged by difficult terrain, lava fields on the mauka side of the fire, soft soil when cutting firebreaks, swirling winds and low humidity. Maui fire officials note that while each fire is different, they have identified new technologies and organization that have helped to keep agencies better connected.

Dreams of homeownership came true for a young Maui family when Na Hale O Maui Executive Director Cassandra Abdul presented Codie and Pelemarie Chong with the keys to their new home on Meheu Circle in the Traditions at Maui Lani, Friday.

The Crater Road Fire has burned 574 acres since it was first reported on Wednesday evening. By 7 p.m. on Sunday, fire officials declared the fire 80% contained. Personnel with the Maui Fire Department will utilize an engine and a tanker overnight to monitor conditions, with work resuming on Monday.

The Crater Road fire has consumed more than 500 acres and was 40% contained at last report. Due to improving conditions Maui County officials have lifted the advisory for residents in affected areas to prepare for potential evacuations. The advisory was issued at 4:11 p.m. on Friday for the area above Kekaulike and Haleakalā highways between Upper Kimo and Waipoli roads, and was lifted at 6:57 p.m. today. Fire crews from Maui Fire Department, DOFAW, National Parks, and Air National Guard were on scene throughout the day, fighting the fire. An evacuation shelter at the King Kekaulike High School gym closed at 2 p.m., but will remain on standby if needed.

The price of a single-family home in Maui County soared to $1.35 million in June, up 30.8% over the same month last year, the Realtors Association of Maui reports. Meanwhile, condos remained virtually unchanged at $980,000.

Maui County officials issued an update shortly before 9 p.m., notifying the public there are NO evacuations called at this time. However, Maui Police Department officers are going through Kula neighborhoods notifying residents to PREPARE to evacuate if necessary and to sign up for MEMA Alerts.

“It’s distressing to all of us, even if it’s not coming right in our nearest vicinity, it’s still triggering, as it would be for anybody, either in Lahaina or Kula, that went through what we went through last year,” said Melissa James of The Ohana Animal Inn in Kula.

Update (8 p.m., July 11, 2024): Due to improving conditions Maui County officials have lifted the advisory as of 6:37 p.m. for residents in affected areas to prepare for potential evacuations. Maui Fire Department crews will remain on scene overnight to monitor the fire. Acreage of the fire decreased from 420 to 355 due to more accurate mapping assessments. 

While unloading cans of Spam and packets of saimin at distribution hubs shortly after the fires, Makale’a Ane and other farmers wanted to find ways to get fresher, healthier foods to families.  “After the fires, we kind of pivoted and took the work that we’re doing on the farm and said, let’s feed our people in this way,” said Ane, the climae and resilience director for the Living Pono Project.

“We felt it was time to really get a better understanding of how much really should be left in the streams as kind of the starting point and then balance that against the other uses as well,” Maui County Water Supply Director John Stufflebean said.

“We want to make sure that Moloka‘i High School is able to compete at a high level and that transportation is not a reason why they would not be able to,” Mokulele Airlines chief of staff Keith Sisson said.

“Everybody’s in a different situation. … We always say, do what you think would be good for your family and your situation,” said Desilee Santiago of the Disaster Recovery Permit Center.