On Maui Island, unemployment climbed to 8.4% in September 2023, a 3.7% increase from August 2023 and a 4.6% increase from a year ago, according to statistics released by the Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Chief among the findings was the dramatic shift in work for the nonprofit sector.  Over 80% of respondents have shifted the focus of their work to fire relief, affecting the sector’s capacity to deliver a wide range of social services.

Families who have been impacted by the Maui fires—whether on Maui or having recently relocated due to the fires—must apply by Oct. 31 to get assistance under these temporary rules. DHS encourages impacted families to apply today.

Hawai‘i Community Foundation today announced a monumental donation of $4 million from Oak Foundation to its Maui Strong Fund. This contribution is the largest single gift the fund has received from a philanthropic entity. 

Kaiser Permanente will host an additional two, no-cost Parenting After Tragedy classes to help parents understand and address the emotional and psychological needs of their keiki following the devastating Maui wildfires.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8 Wildfires, but still led the counties in September 2023 Revenue Per Available Room due to comparatively higher Average Daily Rate. 

Council member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins announced that the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet at Lahaina Civic Center on Wednesday at 5 p.m., to receive testimony on a resolution for a comprehensive recovery and resiliency plan in response to the August wildfires.

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.