The County of Maui has approved with conditions building permits for Kahoma Village to reconstruct four multi-family buildings totaling 24 units that were destroyed in the August 2023 wildfires. 

Recognizing Fuentes was one of the more touching moments of the evening with the organization honoring the Humanitarian of the Year, Community Business of the Year and one of its own as the Executive Director of the Year.

Maui property owners impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires can access free or reduced-cost home design plans and rebuilding assistance through a collaborative effort between the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and local AIA Maui chapter architectural firms, including Hawaii Off Grid Architecture + Engineering.

The state of Hawaiʻi, Maui County and Kamehameha Schools have begun discussions to explore permanently locate Kamehameha III Elementary School on Kamehameha Schools’ land in Kuʻia, Lahaina. The Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire destroyed the school’s former Front Street school site, along with most of historic Lahaina town.

Kimo Carvalho, executive director of HomeAid Hawaii, will discuss “Ka Laʻi Ola: A HomeAid Hawaii Interim Housing Development Program for Maui Wildfire Survivors” at 11:45 a.m. today at Kīhei Lutheran Church, according to an announcement from the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea.

Maui households living below the poverty line has more than doubled since the August 2023 Maui wildfires, one of the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s findings in a new survey of fire-affected residents.

A status update on wildfire debris cleanup will be provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday, Oct. 9, during a Maui County Disaster Recovery Community Update meeting at the Lahaina Civic Center. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the social hall.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., has proclaimed the week of Oct. 6-12, 2024 as “Fire Prevention Week” in the state of Hawai‘i. This year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make them work for you!”

The Hawaiʻi Housing Finance & Development Corp. Board of Directors approved last month a proposed public acquisition of the Front Street Apartments destroyed in the Aug. 8-9, 2023, Lahaina wildfire disaster, although there was some uncertainty about rebuilding in the burn zone.

Giving in FY24 included nearly $10 million for programs to benefit relief and recovery from the August 2023 wildfires on Maui, including $1 million from the Stupski Foundation that issued immediate cash payments to UH students within a week of the fires.

With residential debris removal 100% complete, opening of residential areas off Lahainaluna Road is set for Friday, Oct. 4, at 6 a.m. This is Phase 4 of the Maui Emergency Management Agency zone reopening plan and marks one of the final large residential zones to be reopened.

Sparks from a broken overhead power line ignited unmaintained vegetation off of Lahainaluna Road on the morning of Aug. 8, 2023, and that led to a chain of events that leveled Lahaina town and killed at least 102 people, according to an official origin-and-cause report released Wednesday. The fire’s cause was officially determined to be “accidental.”

A west coast alliance of Rotary Clubs has donated $32,500 to Project Empower, a nonprofit organization formed in 2023 by Oʻahu-based RevoluSun Solar, to aid in building temporary housing solutions for those affected by the deadly wildfires in Maui last August. 

The meeting will include a status report on debris clearing by the US Army Corps of Engineers, an update on the progress of the Kilohana temporary group housing site from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a presentation from Samaritan’s Purse about its US Rebuild Program.

The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study (MauiWES) is putting on a wellness festival at the UH Maui College Great Lawn this Saturday, Sept. 28 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. All are welcome to come together for a day of fun and wellness.

The County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety received the Lahaina Fire Summary of Findings and Conclusions report from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura was briefed by ATF on the report today, Sept. 25, 2024. 

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called for additional disaster relief funding when Congress returns in November. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schatz stressed the need to provide disaster survivors on Maui and in other disaster-impacted communities with flexible, long-term assistance in the form of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding. The said this will enable them to rebuild their homes and communities as quickly as possible.

The US Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies, has completed debris removal from all residential properties devastated by the August 2023 wildfires in Lahaina. The milestone marks the return of 1,390 completed residential properties to the County of Maui. Property owners are now able to apply for building permits as part of the next phase in the rebuilding process.

As West Maui rebuilds from the 2023 wildfires, Kā‘anapali Beach Resort has expanded its commitment to restoring the region’s ecosystem through Treecovery’s reforestation efforts. With four new grow hubs across the resort and more than 1,600 trees donated, Kā‘anapali Beach Resort is nurturing the community’s long-term ecological and cultural resilience.

The County of Maui Department of Planning launched an expedited Special Management Area exemption process for parcels in the Lahaina Disaster Area.  The link went live Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, and the Planning Department has 20 exemptions in the pipeline.