Microsoft’s AI for Good Research Lab has collaborated with the American Red Cross and Planet to employ advanced AI solutions in assessing the damage caused by the Lahaina wildfire.

BREAKING: 9 a.m., Aug. 11, 2023 ACCESS TO LAHAINA THROUGH MAALAEA TO REOPEN TO RESIDENTS OF WEST MAUI. Motorists need to show proof of residency, and visitors must show proof of a hotel reservation. This starts at noon today (Aug. 11, 2023).   ACCESS TO LAHAINA THROUGH MAALAEA TO REOPEN TO RESIDENTS OF WEST MAUI. Motorists need to show proof of residency, and visitors must show proof of a hotel reservation. This starts at noon today (Aug. 11, 2023).  

US Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman will join FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and US Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell on Maui today to visit communities impacted by the recent wildfires and meet with state and local officials regarding ongoing recovery efforts. She will also meet with local small business owners and highlight the SBA’s disaster recovery and resilience operation deployed to assist those affected.

Wildfire updates for Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 can be found HERE. Update: 9:03 p.m., Aug. 11, 2023 A fire that resulted in evacuations earlier this evening in the Kāʻanapali area of West Maui is now 80% contained as of 9 p.m. Authorities say there are no further fire related evacuations being conducted at this time. Maui authorities have confirmed the death toll from the Lahaina wildfire has risen to 67, becoming the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaiʻi. Search and rescue efforts continue today in the heavily impacted area.

Update: 6:24 a.m., Aug. 11, 2023. Honoapiʻilani Highway is closed to traffic going north into Lahaina. Honoapiʻilani Highway is closed to traffic going north into Lahaina, Only traffic evacuating Lahaina is allowed. Kahekili Hwy is open to residents of Kahakuloa with ID and for people evacuating Lahaina.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation has announced additional flights out of Kahului, Maui on Friday, Aug. 11, to support the ongoing evacuation of West Maui. There are additional flights added on Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines to Honolulu from Kahului. Seats are available on scheduled departures from noon through 9:45 p.m.

With power being restored to more areas of West Maui, County of Maui updates on the wildfire disaster will be aired on Maui radio stations once a day at noon. It was previously aired at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.

Approximately 12,400 customers in West Maui remain without power as access continues to be limited to many impacted areas due to safety and emergency response concerns.  Hawaiian Electric is currently coordinating and assisting with State and County emergency response efforts in West Maui.

Mercy Chefs is partnering with Citizen Church Maui located in Lāhainā to offer meals and resources to those impacted, including community members, first responders and volunteers. 

Mā‘alaea Harbor was busy this afternoon are Maui residents gathered supplies and loaded them into boats to send over to people still in Lāhainā following a wildfire that ripped through the old Hawaiian fishing village.

“Today, our assets remain actively engaged in the search and rescue response and our responders are operating and searching as though there may still be survivors in need of assistance,” said Capt. Aja L. Kirksey, Sector Commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu.  

Through efforts of airline, hotel, and ground transportation partners, more than 14,000 people were moved off the island of Maui on Wednesday, Aug. 9, to return home or continue with their vacation elsewhere in Hawai‘i. By the end of Thursday, it is estimated that an additional 14,500 people will be moved off Maui.

A Family Assistance Center is open at Kahului Community Center for family members who are looking for information about loved ones who are unaccounted for and may be affected by the wildfires on Maui. The center at 275 Uhu St. is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Friday. Hours after Friday have not been set.

Amidst the ongoing wildfires in Maui, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) steps in as a reliable tool, utilizing real-time data from satellite imagery to assist in tracking the progression of the fires.

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaiʻi and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on Aug. 8, 2023, and continuing. The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in Maui County.

As firefighting efforts continue, two additional fatalities have been confirmed this evening amid the active Lahaina fire. This brings the death toll to 55 people. FEMA assistance is available:  If you are impacted by the fires in Hawaiʻi, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or download the FEMA App for more information on available resources.

A devastating wildfire sparked by gusty winds from a passing hurricane, left Maui’s Lahaina Town in an unrecognizable state. The popular tourist destination in the historic district of West Maui was described in media reports as being “flattened by fire” with businesses gutted and cars abandoned, leaving charred trees along a now shadeless and shambled path. Remaining is an ashy imprint of a moment in time, captured in these photos of what is now a present day reality.

“Today, we offer our condolences and aloha to the ʻohana of those who have lost their lives, and those who have lost their homes and livelihoods to the wildfires on Maui. We share our aloha with our neighbors on Maui as we face devastation in Lahaina and around the island…”

Many residents and visitors spent hours and even overnight in their cars waiting for Honoapi’ilani Highway to reopen for non-emergency responders.

The Central Pacific Bank Foundation is donating $50,000 to the Hawaiʻi Red Cross to help victims of the devastating fires on Maui.