County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 23 and Tuesday, Oct. 24, in Zones 13A, 13B and 13C.

Council Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura (Upcountry residency District)  and Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Tasha Kama (Kahului residency district) today announced they will host a wildfire relief “Resources for Religious Leaders” informational meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 from 9 a.m. to noon at the UH Maui College Pilina Building Events Center.

Nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, that had losses caused by the Maui County wildfires and high winds have one week – until Wednesday, Oct. 25 – to submit a Request for Public Assistance from FEMA.

The nonprofit Hawaiʻi Land Trust has received a more than $1.1 million grant from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund to create temporary workforce opportunities in partnership with KUPU for 48 Maui residents who have been affected by the recent wildfires. Applications are open through Nov. 17, 2023.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has removed hazardous materials from more than 75% of the burned properties in Lahaina, Maui – the first phase of the overall federal cleanup response to the Maui Wildfires.

Currently, crews are continuing repairs to restore an approximate 300 remaining customers in Lahaina, including the Wahikuli area. In the last two weeks, with more areas being cleared for re-entry by emergency response officials, crews restored power to about 350 customers in the Kahoma Village, parts of Puamana and Upper Kapunakea area.

Workers and self-employed individuals, who temporarily or permanently lost their jobs due to the August wildfires and emergency declarations, will be eligible for paid disaster-relief positions and training through a program run by Maui Economic Opportunity.

Council member Tamara Paltin introduced Bill 95 (2023), which she said would exempt properties destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the August wildfires from property taxes and create an incentive for hotels and short-term rentals to house residents displaced by the fires.

Maui United Way, a charitable nonprofit serving Maui for more than 75 years, created and implemented an Emergency Financial Assistance program that received more than 9,000 applications, and has now successfully distributed payments of $1,000 to more than 7,000 individual fire survivors on Maui. Maui United Way has now launched the second round of grants to assist its local Maui nonprofit partners.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, state officials, FEMA and the American Red Cross joined in providing an update on the economic recovery and housing response on Maui following the devastating Aug. 8 wildfires.

Lahaina’s two elementary schools reopened to hundreds of students today on a shared campus that faculty and staff from both schools have worked hard to make as inviting and familiar as possible for their communities impacted by the August wildfires.

Aloha Festivals five-days of culture and fun starts Saturday with a parade; Oktoberfest and Kōkua for Lahaina raise funds for Maui wildfire victims; and Haunted Hawaiian Ghost Stories and the musical Rocky Horror Show pave the way for Halloween. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

To help people like Vierra, Native Hawaiian Matt Jachowski has used his skills as a software developer to create the website Maui Hale Match, which he hopes will make it easier for displaced fire survivors to connect with homeowners and landlords that have available units they can afford. But his data shows the affordability gap is huge.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21, in Zone 14A and 14B. ZONE 14A includes a portion of Front St. ZONE 14B includes portions of: Aholo Rd., Front St., Kaeo Pl., Kahili Pl., Kamano Pl., Kua Pl., Ui Pl.

A donation drive is being held at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Kahului for prom and formal dresses, tuxedos and suits so teenagers at Lahainaluna High can create lasting memories at their Senior Ball this winter and Junior Prom in the spring.

Lahaina Intermediate School faculty and staff cheered and waved signs as they welcomed approximately 400 students back to their West Maui campus for the first time this academic year.

A “Kōkua for Lahaina” benefit concert will be held at the Kīhei Charter School on Oct. 21 with a goal to raise at least $7,500 for the Maui Strong Fund.

The Maui Police Department on Monday identified one more victim of the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire: Michael Misaka, 61, of Lahaina.

The County of Maui is identifying fire-damaged or destroyed vehicles found on public roadways and other right-of-way areas following the August 2023 Maui wildfires. County officials say there were an estimated 1,000 vehicles that were in public right-of-way areas following the fires.

Lahainaluna High School faculty and staff welcomed approximately 700 students back to their home campus on Monday for the first time in more than two months since the Maui wildfires.