Wildfires & Recovery

Gov. Green extended an invitation to the President and First Lady after being advised that the search and recovery efforts will have reached a point that a visit can be done safely and in a way that will support the recovery efforts.

Uncle George Kahumoku Jr. has started a GoFundMe account and has raised more than $170,000 to support the slack key ohana and the Maui Food Bank.

In Maui, the Bidens will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see firsthand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort.

Wildfire updates for Monday Aug. 16 are posted: HERE.. Recovery efforts continue on Maui where wildfires decimated the Historic Lahaina Town in West Maui, leaving a path of destruction spanning nearly 3.5 square miles.

While all three campuses (Lahainaluna High, Lahaina Intermediate and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary) sustained wind damage, the overall structure of campus buildings and classrooms are in good condition, according to department administrators.

The County of Maui and Maui Police Department reports they are saddened to confirm the following identities of victims involved in the Maui Wildfire Disaster. “Our hearts go out to the families, friends and community affected by this devastating event,” according to a county officials.

The County of Maui Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing’s Lahaina Satellite Office will be available beginning Wednesday, Aug. 16, to assist West Maui residents whose Hawaiʻi driver’s licenses or Hawaiʻi State Identification cards have been lost or destroyed by wildfires. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Health Center is providing birth control visits and women’s health exams to women impacted by the Maui wildfires.

Watch members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Task Force on the ground in Lāhainā.

The United Health Foundation is donating $250,000 to both the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank to aid in recovery efforts.

Hawaiian Telcom is providing free community WiFi and phone service at three Maui shelters: War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, Kīhei Gym and Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani.

The Oʻahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association has cancelled the Molokaʻi Hoe Canoe Race due to the unfolding crisis on Maui, emphasizing their responsibility to prioritize community well-being and uphold the spirit of aloha.

Haleakalā National Park’s Summit and Kīpahulu Districts remain closed to the public through the evening of Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.  The National Park Service advises the public: “Please do not attempt to visit the park during the closure as both districts are closed to entry.”

The Maui organization is working quickly with its partners to assess the impacts of the wildfires and find solutions to prevent additional harm. While the situation remains dynamic, the council is moving forward on several fronts.

The bank is waiving ATM and safe deposit box fees, expediting debit card and checkbook replacement and has established a hotline for Maui customers.

The start of the fall semester at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College will be delayed a week because of the devastating impact of the deadly wildfires, according to an announcement by UH Maui Chancellor Lui Hokoana. The semester was scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 21, and will now begin on Monday, Aug. 28, for UH Maui College. The start of the fall semester for UHʻs other nine campuses will remain on Aug. 21, as scheduled.

Maui Economic Opportunity buses will offer transports – at no cost to riders – for medical appointments for those impacted by the fires and sheltering at the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium and Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani.

Less than a week after the deadly wildfires wreaked devastation in Lahaina and Kula, about 200 University of Hawaiʻi Maui College faculty and staff attended the fall 2023 convocation at the Kahului campus on August 14. The gathering also included the Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi education centers via Zoom.

As a community service to aid those affected by the wildfires, the Hawaii State Bar Association is hosting a FREE legal hotline to provide legal assistance to the residents of Maui and the Big Island and any others adversely affected.

Wiwoʻole in native Hawaiian means ‘fearless, brave, bold, and courageous.’ In this historic occurrence of unprecedented and catastrophic loss, the unifying and healing power of mele (music) has summoned Maui’s celebrated recording artists and hālau to gather for the Wiwoʻole Maui Benefit Concert (Livestream) on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 live-streamed from Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort.