Latest Fire Recovery News

Senator Angus McKelvey (District 6, West Maui, Mā‘alaea, Waikapū, South Maui) announced that approximately $250 million in capital improvement project (CIP) funding has been secured in the Senate draft of the state budget bill, HB 1800 HD1 SD1. The funds will support critical infrastructure, recovery, and community investment projects across South and West Maui.

Thanks to continued support from Maui United Way, the Kaialahui Foundation is midway through an ambitious year-long expansion of its Meaʻai Pono project – a grassroots initiative to strengthen Maui’s food security by doubling local food production, planting native trees, and delivering tens of thousands of pounds of culturally appropriate, locally grown foods to wildfire-impacted families.

The Kauaʻi Fire Department invites the public to register for the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit 2026, taking place May 7 and 8 on Kauaʻi. This two-day event will bring partners from across the islands together to strengthen wildfire readiness and resilience statewide.

Nā Kia‘i O Maui will host a Clothing & Furniture Community Giveaway on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lahaina Resource & Recovery Center, located at 150 Hāna Highway in Kahului.

Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group has announced the launch of its new “House to Home Program,” an initiative designed to help wildfire survivor families transition from newly rebuilt houses into comfortable, livable homes.

As part of its ongoing wildfire safety strategy, Hawaiian Electric will begin this month using unmanned aircrafts, or drones, for aerial inspections of its electrical infrastructure in identified wildfire risk areas throughout Moloka‘i. Inspections will continue through May 2026. The drones play a critical role in the inspection process in Maui County, and on Hawai‘i Island and Oʻahu as the technology enables Hawaiian Electric to more quickly identify issues to prevent or lessen the risk of wildfires.

A Hawaiʻi woman was sentenced to four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, following her guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge stems from allegations of stealing disaster relief funds, intended for Lahaina and Pacific Palisades fire victims.

The County of Maui Parks and Recreation Department is seeking public input on a proposed fieldhouse and community center in West Maui. The tentative plans were announced at the County’s Lahaina Community Meeting on Wednesday evening.

Over the past several months, Whalers Village has welcomed a collection of new and returning tenants, including several cherished Lahaina businesses that lost their retail locations in the 2023 wildfires.

FEMA has approved $5.7 million in funding to support state-managed recovery programs as a result of the 2023 Hawaiʻi wildfires. These funds directly support individuals, families and communities by addressing some of their most urgent needs after a disaster. 

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation reports that a portion of one of the stone walls at the historic Baldwin Home collapsed following the recent storm that impacted Maui, just days after stabilization work had begun on the structure.

Due to an impending kona storm, organizers are canceling this month’s Pa‘ūpili 3rd Saturday event, March 21, 2026.

Crews have begun stabilization work on the historic Baldwin Home gutted in the Lahaina wildfire in August 2023. The work marks the first major physical step toward rebuilding the landmark since the disaster, the Lahaina Restoration Foundation announced this week.

Trilogy Excursions announces that beginning March 18, the company will officially resume sailing from Lahaina Harbor for the first time since the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires. The milestone marks a deeply meaningful homecoming for the Lahaina-founded company and signals another step forward for West Maui’s recovery.

Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group, in partnership with Mennonite Disaster Service, reached a major milestone in long-term wildfire recovery with the completion of their first two rebuilt homes in Lahaina.

Topics include Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program, project updates from the County Department of Public Works and other updates from the Office of Recovery.

Maui Fire Survivors have filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus with the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court seeking immediate action to  dismiss ongoing insurance company appeals that they claim are delaying settlement payments to thousands of Maui fire survivors and families.

Among this year’s Huakaʻi Awards honorees is David Sellers who is credited with helping to mobilize resources and advocate for families facing loss following the 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

The County of Maui marked the completion of Lahaina wildfire debris transfer with a pule at the Permanent Disposal Site in Central Maui.

Restoration work continues at Lahaina Harbor, where the loading dock has reopened and resumed operations following the 2023 wildfires, with the recent planting of nearly 10 native trees, including endemic loulu palms.