The ‘Ohana Assistance Pilot Project launched on Monday to provide grants of up to $100,000 to Maui County homeowners toward the cost of design and construction of attached or detached ʻohana units.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources voted unanimously to issue an after-the-fact revocable permit to Nā ʻAikāne o Maui, Inc. (NAOMI) for its Community Resource Center, which was destroyed in the Lahaina wildfires. In its vote on Friday, June 28, the board also voted to change the rent from $40 per month to gratis (free).

The Maui Tenants and Workers Association (MTWA), a project of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center (HWC), held a press conference urging Governor Josh Green to extend the Emergency Proclamation on Wildfires for Maui set to expire today.

Interim housing sites include 450 modular homes under construction at Ka Laʻi Ola in West Maui, and 150 units at Hale ‘O Lā‛ie (formerly the Haggai Institute in Kīhei).

Ke Ola Hou Resiliency Center will be dedicated to providing comprehensive services to aid in the physical, mental and emotional recovery of individuals and families affected by the fires.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery-West Maui will host an open house at its new office at Lahaina Gateway on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. The open house is being held in lieu of the weekly County of Maui Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting.

The Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing July 8 on the rate application by Hawaiʻi Water Service Company Inc.

The Junior Chamber International (JCI) Maui chapter will host a school supply drive at the Kalana O’ Maui Building (200 S. High St.) in Wailuku on Friday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Wastewater Reclamation Division today announced its amendments to the sewer service status in Lahaina’s fire-affected areas.

Following the devastating wildfires in Lahaina, Starbucks baristas nominated nine local Maui nonprofits to receive Starbucks Neighborhood Grants totaling $24,000, with four focused on Lahaina rebuilding and recovery. 

Educators from King Kamehameha III Elementary School successfully secured support from the Rotary D5000 Maui Wildfires Relief Fund for a project aimed at creating a warm and supportive atmosphere for students and faculty in their temporary school location.

“Lele, or Lahaina, as it has become known, has always been a place of immense historical and cultural importance, serving as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the birthplace and home to many aliʻi. As we look to rebuild, it is about grounding this place in the history and heritage from which it came,” said Rep. Tokuda during her testimony. “Designating Lahaina as a National Heritage Area would complement and sustain community-driven efforts being led by lineal descendants and local leaders to preserve Lele’s rich history, tradition, and culture for future generations.” 

Walls are now in place for the first home to be rebuilt in the Lahaina impact zone since the deadly August 2023 wildfires. It’s a visual reminder of the hope that exists among those wanting to return to their beloved neighborhoods, and an encouraging sign of progress as displaced residents work their way through the permitting and construction process.

The Wailuku Hongwanji Mission is hosting a special memorial Japanese tea ceremony to honor wildfire victims.

The latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey results show that visitors’ experience on Maui among US West and US East travelers have improved since the Aug. 8 wildfires, according to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. The percentage of visitors to Maui that rated their trip “excellent” was 89.8% from the US East, 86.3% from Europe, 86.2% from the US West, and 85.9% from Canada. Additionally, the percentage of visitors from these markets “very likely” to return to Maui in the next five years remained high: US West (71.5%), Canada (63.0%), and US East (59.0%).

Since October 2023, The Kanikapila Project — a post-fire program on Maui — has lifted up people of all ages who are impacted by the tragic Lahaina wildfire using the healing power of music. So far, the project has gifted music lessons and over 400 ʻukulele.

Following the Maui wildfires of August 2023, the University of Hawaiʻi is spearheading projects totaling $2.1 million to address the impacts to air and water quality, public health, ecosystem resilience and community evacuation responses.

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Maui County Council chambers Tuesday morning to hear the start of debate over Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed phase-out of approximately 7,000 transient vacation rental units in apartment-zoned districts.

The meeting will include a US Army Corps of Engineers update on debris removal, information on the Department of Health’s new environmental monitoring portal, and presentations by the Maui Emergency Management Agency, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police Department and County Department of Public Works.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) has launched an Environmental Monitoring Data Portal to provide a one-stop shop for sharing the results of previous and ongoing environmental monitoring in the areas affected by the August 2023 Lahaina and Kula wildfires.