The Maui County Council will accept public testimony next month regarding proposed changes to building height limits for new construction within the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District.

Federal housing assistance for Maui wildfire survivors has been extended through February 2027, providing relief to nearly 1,000 households that were facing an impending cutoff.

Proposed updates to Maui County’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Action Plan are now available to view on the Hoʻokumu Hou website. This is the official online site for the Office of Recovery Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program.

Surfrider Foundation, Pacific Fire Exchange, and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, have released Re-planting After Fire: A Fire-Resilient Landscape Guide for Lahaina & West Maui — a new, free resource created specifically for the Lahaina and West Maui community.

Maui County Federal Credit Union announced the reopening of its Lahaina Branch at 270 Lahainaluna Road on Jan. 12, 2026, marking a meaningful return to its home in Lahaina. Its temporary location at the Fairway Shops in Kāʻanapali at 2580 Kekaʻa Drive, Suite 117, closes permanently on Jan. 9, 2026.

Maui Economic Opportunity would like 2023 wildfire survivors to be aware that short- and long-term rental assistance for up to four months may be available through the Maui Relief TANF Program/Maui Relief Program for Wildfire Disaster Survivors.  

USACE led the major operation requiring clearance of roughly 400,000 tons of wildfire debris. Debris transfer to the temporary Olowalu site, adjacent to a former landfill, from the devastating 2023 wildfires began in January 2024. The transfer from the TDS to the Permanent Disposal Site in Central Maui began June 16, 2025.

One year after its establishment as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group is marking a milestone in its efforts to support survivors of the August 2023 wildfires.

In 39 days, those types of gatherings will not be possible for the 1,475 individuals still in FEMA-funded housing on Maui if the deadline is not extended. In November, the state requested a 12-month extension to the current deadline.

The draft guidelines are the latest effort by the county to move forward with rebuilding in the town’s business district, which overlaps a sensitive historic area that has seen little activity since the August 2023 wildfires.

The Public Utilities Commission today approved Hawaiian Electric’s 2025-2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan and completed a comprehensive study on whether to establish a wildfire recovery fund.

In 2025, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) worked to protect Hawai‘i from significant cuts to federal funding and helped secure more than $1 billion for Hawai‘i to support Maui’s ongoing recovery, expand high-speed internet, and improve airports and infrastructure.

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation, with the support of Hawaiʻi Rotary District 5000, announced the completion and opening of two new exhibition kiosks at Lahaina Cannery Mall. These displays offer Maui residents and visitors a free, fresh, and engaging way to connect with Lahaina’s rich history and ongoing story of resilience.

Coffee Stop West Maui — a locally owned, family-run drive-thru coffee trailer, has opened at 263 Lahainaluna Road. They are the first independently owned coffee business to reopen in Lahaina Town since the 2023 wildfire, according to owners.

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation announced its new leadership team, introduced at the LRF Annual Meeting held recently at the Lahainaluna High School Cafeteria. Ekolu Lindsey has been named President of LRF, bringing his deep roots in Hawaiian cultural and environmental stewardship to guide the organization’s mission of preserving Lahaina’s historic and cultural resources.

These deployable assets strengthen emergency communications in some of the nation’s most hazard-prone and geographically complex environments. The equipment ensures that critical connectivity for Hawaiʻi first responders can quickly be restored independent of commercial infrastructure or power.

In coordination with state updates to its Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, certain County of Maui streets in Lahaina town near the harbor will reopen for daytime (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) access starting Dec. 15, 2025, according to the County Office of Recovery. These streets have been closed and under repair since the 2023 Maui wildfires.

The Pioneer Mill Company/Lahaina Ice Company Bookkeeper’s House in Lahaina, more recently dubbed the “Miracle House” after the August 2023 wildfires on Maui, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Maui County reached a significant benchmark in its recovery from the 2023 wildfires this week as rebuilding of the 100th structure was completed, the County of Maui Department of Public Works Development Services Administration announced Tuesday.

In a milestone for Maui Nui and Lahaina wildfire recovery, the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation will resume limited commercial boat operations at Lahaina Small Boat Harbor starting Dec. 15, 2025, for the first time since the August 2023 wildfires.