Maui United Way has expanded its support for students attending the temporary Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina, providing additional resources aimed at fostering play, creativity, and healing as the community continues to recover from the 2023 Maui fires.  

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen delivered his third State of the County Address at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater on Friday, expressing renewed hope for residents and progress made in the year and half after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

Maui County Council members voted 9-0 Friday morning for first-reading passage of Bill 105, which would allow disaster-impacted property owners to rebuild their homes and other structures to their original condition, even if they were decades old and didn’t meet current building codes. The measure advances to second-and-final reading.

Hauling will take place nightly at 9 p.m., from Wednesday, March 12 through Friday, March 14. The transport will involve trucks in a caravan that will move the homes from the staging area near the Kahului small boat ramp along Kahului Beach Road (Route 3400) to Lahaina.

Tokuda said cuts to the Office of Community Planning and Development would “inject even more uncertainty” into the lives of survivors fighting every day to rebuild.

Kaibigan ng Lahaina, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Filipino and immigrant communities, has released findings from two community surveys highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by survivors of the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfires.

Senate Bill 332 Senate Draft 1 would prohibit sellers of foreclosed homes from bundling properties at a public sale. Instead, each foreclosed home would be sold separately. Previous foreclosure crises have resulted in the replacement of owner-occupied homes with investor-owned rentals, prolonged vacancies and unmaintained residential properties.

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Lahaina Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

The workshop takes place on March 11, 2025, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Lahainaluna cafeteria. This workshop will focus on microgrids, grid ownership models and community priorities.

Hawaiian Electric has partnered with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization to fund critical Firewise coordinator positions to support statewide wildfire prevention efforts.

Work is now underway to ensure households transition from temporary arrangements into permanent homes.

The Maui Health Foundation has received a $2.25 million grant from Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund for the construction of up to 15 additional transitional housing units for healthcare professionals directly impacted by the August 2023 Lahaina fire.

County of Maui barricades will be removed when the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation reopens its intersection on Honoapi‘ilani Highway and the northern terminus of Front Street at 11 a.m. today, Feb. 26, 2025, according to the County’s Office of Recovery.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement announced that 17 employees assigned to CNHA’s Kākoʻo Maui recovery programs have been placed on leave following unexpected federal funding cuts. These employees played a critical role in providing direct assistance to wildfire survivors, particularly at the Kākoʻo Distribution Center, which has temporarily closed due to the staffing loss.

As Maui wildfire survivors try to get back on their feet, another blow: A combination of uncertain federal funding from the US Department of Labor and insufficient available funds from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations have led to lost jobs Monday for 131 National Dislocated Worker Grant workers.

Maui County Council members voted unanimously, 9-0, on Friday to approve by resolution the use of up to $5 million from the Managed Retreat Revolving Fund for property acquisition by the Lahaina Community Land Trust.

More than $1.6 billion in CDBG-DR funding was appropriated by Congress to support recovery efforts stemming from the 2023 Maui wildfires. The funding will be provided to the County of Maui through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A council committee backed the $1.7 million purchase of land that could be used in the short term to house volunteers helping with rebuilding and to store construction materials.

Wildfire experts, community leaders, emergency responders and policymakers will gather together for the 2025 Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit, Feb. 27-28 in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island. They’ll share insights and tackle challenges aimed at building a stronger, more wildfire resilient Hawaiʻi.

Effective volunteer coordination remains essential for Maui’s wildfire recovery efforts. To support local nonprofits in managing volunteers more efficiently, the Maui Volunteer Coalition for Recovery and Ho‘ōla iā Mauiakama Long Term Recovery Group are providing 100 free POINT Pro subscriptions to qualified organizations.