Wildfires & Recovery

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least May 4, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Governor Josh Green’s emergency proclamation.

The community is encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the Lahaina Civic Center to hear about the County’s interim housing plan.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., signed the 10th Emergency Proclamation Relating to Wildfires, which contains amendments from previous versions aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing for Maui residents, especially those displaced due to the deadly wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023.

The County of Maui is seeking the owners of 21 intact vehicles that were removed from the Lahaina wildfire disaster zone for debris cleanup progression. The vehicles were deemed salvageable based on their appearance of little to no visible outer damage to the vehicle, but the County makes no warranty regarding the condition of any of these vehicles.

Proceeds from ticket sales for the Kaua‘i Poke Fest taking place on June 8 this year will support Maui wildfire survivors.

The Hawaiʻi Workers Center, a grassroots organization focused on the well-being of workers held a press conference in Lahaina last week in the hopes of tackling housing issues impacting wildfire survivors.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate Committee on Ways and Means passed out several bills aimed at addressing key priorities for the Senate, including bills to assist in wildfire recovery, agriculture, economic development, homelessness and housing.

Today marks the first day that wildfire survivors can apply for the One ‘Ohana Fund. The fund is for survivors who lost loved ones and survivors who suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized as a result of the disaster.

A bill aimed at expediting rebuilding in Lahaina received unanimous initial approval Wednesday from Maui County Council members. Bill 21 passed first reading. It’s set for second reading on March 8.

Local residents and organizations are invited to participate in an event at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. This event aims to match individuals in need of temporary or permanent housing with state, federal and local organizations assisting individuals and families in need of housing support.

The Central Maui Landfill will be the final disposal site for an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of toxic ash and debris left in the aftermath of the Aug. 8 wildfire that leveled Lahaina Town.

During their meeting, Kouchi and Hashimoto urged Ambassador Tai to recognize the unique situation that West Maui is in as it attempts to recover from the wildfire, and to advocate for the construction of 1,000 permanent FEMA-built housing units to house wildfire survivors.

Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura has announced a community meeting at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The focus of the meeting will be on hazard mitigation and recovery efforts Upcountry.  

The US Army Corps of Engineers announced on Tuesday the successful installation and turnover of the newly constructed temporary campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary School students in Lahaina to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education.

A bill that seeks to establish a nine-member Lele Community District Board to facilitate rebuilding decisions for the post-wildfire Lahaina area of West Maui, is scheduled for key committee decision making on Wednesday.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery invites residents to participate in an online feedback activity on its recently launched Ola Lahaina page, a hub for online community engagement for Lahaina’s wildfire recovery efforts. The feedback activity will be available through March 15, 2024, and can be found at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. 

Kupu, a conservation and youth education nonprofit, is accepting applicants for its Kupu ʻĀina Corps Wildfire Recovery Initiative dedicated to wildfire recovery and resilience work on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, until the deadline on March 1, 2024.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. announced details surrounding the planned launch of the One ‘Ohana Fund on March 1, and provided a housing update for wildfire survivors. While earlier this month, the governor said a moratorium would “not likely” be needed during his six month update, he revisited the idea today.

A last call is going out for applicants to a program launched by the J. Walter Cameron Center last year to provide laptop computers to families that lost their belongings in the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaiʻi and Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi will offer free, in-person help for people affected by the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires.