Maui Bicycling League partnered with the Hawaiʻi Bicycling League, Sovereignty Bike Company from Kauaʻi, and Young Brothers to fulfill the wishes of over 80 kids who requested bikes for Christmas.

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Kahului Target Store, Child and Family Services, and various first responders brought holiday cheer to children who were impacted by the recent Lahaina wildfires at its first-ever “Target’s Heroes and Helpers” event held Saturday on Maui.

Santa Claus—in the guise of longtime Maui businessman Richard Dan—gave away hundreds of ʻukulele on Saturday to children at Lahaina schools who lost their homes in the August wildfires.

Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced the award of $575,000 to three nonprofit partners focused on providing assistance to Maui families with small children who have been affected by the fires in August: Partners in Development Foundation, Child and Family Service, and the Hoʻoikaika Partnership with fiscal sponsor Maui Family Support Services.

The department amended the Unsafe Water Advisory for Lahaina to remove area L-4B, which impacts 69 lots near Kapunakea Street on the mauka side of Honoapi’ilani Highway. Water serving the homes in L-4B is declared safe for unrestricted use effective today, Dec. 15, 2023.

The Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center will close at 4 p.m. Dec. 18, Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, because of community meetings.

The Salvation Army expects the needs of the local communities in Hawaiʻi will be greater than usual this holiday season and well into 2024.

There will be an alternating, single lane closure on Keawe Street/Lahaina Bypass (Route 3000), from Sunday, Dec. 17, through Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, as contractors replace drain lines across the highway that were damaged in the Lahaina wildfires.  

The Maui County Council on Friday passed on second and final reading Bill 103, CD1 (2023) to encourage active agricultural use on land left fallow by landowners, Council member Gabe Johnson announced.

The nonprofit Arc of Maui County received an $80,000 grant from the Nareit Foundation that will be utilized to replace the aging roof of its Lahaina group home that provides housing for five residents living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“I do want to be blunt here, if we don’t get people stepping up, I’m going to drop the hammer on short-term rentals that aren’t able to be used by our people. It’s just not okay that we don’t have housing for our local people. And so, I will propose a moratorium on short-term rentals through emergency rules. I’m sure we will face litigation, but I will do it if we don’t get 3,000 units for our people who have been living in hotels—because it’s not civilized to make people wait to get housing after they’ve lost their home in a fire,” said Gov. Green.

Speaker Scott K. Saiki today announced that the Final Report of the House of Representatives Lahaina Wildfire Interim Working Groups has been published. The report is a culmination of efforts from six bipartisan working groups, formed on Sept. 6, 2023, to evaluate topics related to the Lahaina wildfire.

DTRIC Insurance, its holding company MS&AD Insurance Group, and its parent company Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, have stepped forward with a donation of $100,000 to support Maui wildfire relief effort

State Senator Angus McKelvey will host a Town Hall for West Maui residents on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center.

UHERO forecast: “There remain a host of uncertainties surrounding Maui’s future recovery path, including how fast residents can be moved from hotels to more permanent housing, the speed of ongoing cleanup work, the extent and duration of support programs, and how long and in what fashion rebuilding will occur.”

Chef Hui and Maui Brewing Co., in collaboration with community partners, are hosting the inaugural Johnny Baldwin Keiki Christmas Beach Bash at Outrigger Kāʻanapali Beach Hotel on Dec. 16 to support displaced families in West Maui.

Officials from County of Maui and from federal agencies will be offering information and updates about debris removal, transportation and containment of debris and ash for properties in the Lahaina Wildfire Disaster Area during a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey by the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism shows high satisfaction among Hawai‘i’s visitors, with over 95% rating their experience as “excellent” or “above average.” Additionally, a special section on the impact of Maui wildfires indicates a slight decrease in satisfaction for those who visited after the Aug. 8 wildfires.

Residents previously scheduled to relocate to new American Red Cross non-congregate shelter locations between Dec. 15 and Dec. 18 have been extended in their current hotel sheltering locations until after the holidays, according to a Red Cross update.

Holidays For Lahaina along with the help of donors, have organized a Christmas For Lahaina celebration. The event will take place on Thursday, Dec, 21, 2023, at 6 p.m., at The Ritz Carlton, Kapalua, West Maui. The event is NOT open to the public.