“Last October, the Administration requested $23.5 billion for disaster recovery,” the senators wrote. “Since then, the need for recovery resources in our communities have grown and evolved. The nation has also witnessed additional crises, including the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. This funding is essential for our constituents to move forward in rebuilding their homes, lives, businesses, farms and communities.”

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., proclaimed May as Wildfire Mitigation and Risk Reduction Preparedness Month. The proclamation comes nine months after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of historic Lahaina Town and claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

Four students graduating from Kīhei Charter School have taken on different challenges posed by the Maui wildfires and other statewide issued in their Senior Graduation Defense presentations. Seniors—Taylor Guindon, Tara Zamani, Sundi King and Claire Eller—presented respective projects on wildfire prevention policies, microbe research in the fire aftermath, stories of resilience from wildfire survivors, and an ʻŌhiʻa restoration project sparked by a visit to Hawaiʻi Island.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the State of Hawaiʻi’s request for a final 30-day extension of the temporary emergency Non-Congregate Sheltering (NCS) program, which has been in operation for nearly 10 months. The program is now set to end on June 10, 2024.

Specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be available May 13-25 at Ace Hardware in Kīhei to offer free advice to homeowners on how to rebuild their homes stronger and safer after the August wildfires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is telling the story of Molokaʻi resident Erin Peyton, who took action to protect her community from wildfires.

Following Gov. Josh Green’s signing of the 11th emergency proclamation relating to wildfires, signed into law on May 3, 2024, a landlord who wishes to terminate a lease before its effective date can only do so for two reasons, and must submit a signed affidavit to the County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns, Housing Division.

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee has completed its version of fiscal year 2025 budget, calling for overall spending of $1.647 billion, a 2.92% reduction from Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed budget of $1.697 billion.

The online community survey launched by County of Maui Office of Recovery to help shape the creation of the Lahaina Recovery Plan is now available in Hawaiian, Ilocano, Spanish, Tagalog and Tongan. The survey will be available until May 19, 2024, and can be found on Maui Recovers’ “Ola Lahaina” page at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. Click on the box on the top right to select the preferred language for the survey.

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College held its first commencement since the Maui wildfires on Thursday on the Great Lawn of the campus in Kahului. About 220 of 450 graduates participated in the ceremony under the theme “resilience.”

“Maui is set for an extended recovery period this decade, while population slowing will reduce future growth to varying degrees across the counties,” according to the UHERO forecast.

A critical transmission line that serves as a back-up route of power to approximately 11,000 customers in West Maui is now online after Hawaiian Electric rebuilt the line along former routes in the Lahaina area with new steel and wood poles and electrical equipment. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has released findings of lead screening conducted at a series of community events between December 2023 and February 2024, among people impacted by the Maui wildfires. DOH Public Health Nurses and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB) collaborated on the project. While wildfire ash contains significant concentrations of lead, the screening results do not indicate evidence of widespread human exposure to toxins in the ash, according to a department news release.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced the County of Maui has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to conduct an After-Action Report assessing the coordination of Maui County Emergency Management Agency’s (MEMA’s) response to the Maui Wildfires that occurred in August 2023.

The meeting will feature an update from County Department of Parks and Recreation Director Pat McCall on the status of the Lahaina Aquatic Center. The US Army Corps of Engineers will provide an update on debris clearing.

Maui County homeowners affected negatively by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible to receive financial assistance for mortgage, other qualified housing expenses and other resources to help them avoid foreclosure under the Maui Homeowner Assistance Fund (MHAF) Program that launches today, Monday, May 6, 2024. Homeowners displaced by the Maui Wildfires also may be eligible for assistance and are encouraged to apply.

The Federal Housing Administration will extend the foreclosure moratorium through Aug. 4, 2024, to help homeowners impacted by 2023 wildfires. FHA is taking this action due to the extent of the devastation from the wildfires, the reduced capacity for borrowers to access needed resources, and the unique challenges associated with the geographic location of Maui.

A total of 50 cats left the Maui Humane Society and the Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary last week, headed to their new life in California with the Humane Society Silicon Valley. The transport was made in collaboration with Greater Good Charities.

The Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry is expanding service with three round trips per day, seven days a week, starting the week of June 3, 2024. The expanded service is aimed at meeting passenger demand.

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least July 2, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation.