Hawaiian Electric Company unveiled details today regarding its Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS program for lessening the risk of wildfires in Hawaiʻi, which will launch on July 1. As part of this program, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in certain areas it has identified as high risk during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. In Maui County, the program will start in West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of central Molokaʻi (affecting approximately 26,100 customers).

Since the fund began accepting applications on March 1, 2024, 48 registrations have been received from families who lost loved ones in the August 2023 wildfires, while 17 have been submitted by injured survivors.

The deadline is fast approaching for COFA citizens who were affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. The 60-day application period ends Friday, May 31.

Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) has announced it will open applications for the Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program on July 1, 2024. To secure a space and to be placed on an interest list, complete an interest form online.

The Disaster Recovery Center and Community Resource Center will continue providing help in West Maui to wildfire survivors June 30, according to an announcement.

More than a dozen Maui teachers flew to Oʻahu on Thursday to ask for more support following devastating wildfires last August. Designated as a hard-to-staff location for years, West Maui is experiencing a critical teacher shortage as many educators are still piecing together their lives, or were forced to leave the area entirely, according to the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Educators on Maui are asking for increased shortage differentials for West Maui teachers, the creation of a fire relief leave bank, and more robust mental health support for all who were impacted, including displaced students. 

Four Maui businesses impacted by the fires last August were selected for three months of rent relief and a $2,000 business scholarship at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center. As part of Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s #ExtendAloha campaign to spread awareness and raise funds for the community, Maui businesses that needed help getting back on their feet were encouraged to apply for the leasing space opportunity within the center. 

The program is open to high school juniors and seniors who were directly impacted by the Maui wildfires. Selected cohort members will participate in training sessions on Maui, followed by a week-long trip to Higashimatsushima in the Tohoku region of Japan. Cohort members will learn about disaster recovery, meet with students from Higashimatsushima, and participate in workshops led by local community organizers directly involved in the recovery efforts following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

On Tuesday night, the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) sought community feedback on the site selection for King Kamehameha III Elementary School to rebuild its permanent location, after its original campus was lost to the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire.

A new travel gift program was announced on Wednesday, providing more than 3,000 roundtrip Alaska Airlines flights, as well as Disneyland tickets and accommodations to Maui families affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires.

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the US Forest Service is awarding more than $5.6 million to help plan for and prevent wildfires in Hawaiʻi. The funding, made available through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program, will be allocated to nine projects across the state to help at-risk communities plan for and reduce the risk of wildfires.

Residents are invited to attend Mayor Richard Bissen’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22. The weekly meeting, previously held in the gymnasium, will move to the downstairs social hall at Lahaina Civic Center.

The US Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors released its blasting plan for the Kilohana temporary housing site today. The contractor will generally blast once a day between 2-4 p.m., weather permitting, Monday through Saturday, for approximately the next 65 days. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s current extension for the non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program is now set for June 10, 2024. On May 31, 2024, the state of Hawaiʻi will cease its feeding operations at NCS designated hotel sites. State officials say they are postured to assist during this period of transition and are actively working on developing strategies and resources to support individuals and families who will be affected by the end of these services.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, but still led the counties in April 2024 revenue per available room (RevPAR) due to comparatively higher average daily rate (ADR), according to the Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, issued by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

The past year has brought significant shocks to the housing market in Hawaiʻi. Per the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), overall transactions in 2023 was only half of what it was in 2021, and fewer single family homes were transacted in Hawaiʻi last year than in any of the last 25 years.

Overburdened communities in Lahaina, Kahului and Wailuku are the beneficiaries of a $500,000 grant allocated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency announced today.

The Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council has been awarded the District Export Council of the Year Award by the US Department of Commerce. The honor recognizes the council’s contributions to supporting US exporters in Hawaiʻi and across the US Pacific Islands through innovative and impactful initiatives.

A community meeting to discuss the future site for King Kamehameha III Elementary School will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the cafeteria of the temporary campus, located at 100 Akahele Street in Lahaina. The goal is to ask the community for feedback on where the permanent location should be. The agenda will include presentations on the three possible location options, community feedback in small groups or individually, and an explanation of next steps in the selection process.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA Maui) will hold a Homeowners Rebuilding Informational Workshop featuring local building and permitting experts on Tuesday, May 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m at the Lahaina Civic Center.