Maui News

The state of Hawaiʻi Office of Consumer Protection is alerting consumers who have reservations with ACE Rent A Car Maui to make alternative arrangements, as OCP has confirmed with company personnel at Ace Customer Care that the company has ceased doing business on Maui and has no intention of honoring existing bookings. Travelers who pre-booked rental vehicles through this company can expect to find no shuttle service available and no personnel to assist them upon their arrival at Kahului Airport (OGG).

South Kīhei has been identified by MEMA as an area at high-risk of flooding due to significant sediment accumulation from the recent kona low storm. Ongoing cleanup efforts are focused on restoring drainage capacity, but elevated flood risk remains. Other areas of moderate-risk include ʻĪao, East Molokaʻi, Lahaina, and East Maui.

While Maui County braces for more severe weather, council members are poised to take action Friday morning on a $15 million request for emergency funding, following a Wednesday committee update on the effort to rebuild from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire disaster.

DHS obtained approval from the federal Food and Nutrition Service to extend the deadline to submit applications for replacement benefits until April 2, 2026, for specific areas of the state impacted by prolonged power outages associated with the kona low weather event from March 13-March 15, 2026.

PDF conversion software called DocAccess has been launched on County of Maui-managed websites to provide several new accessibility and translation features.

The new kona storm forecast to reach the state beginning today follows a severe kona storm that impacted the state March 13 to 16, 2026. Maui received the highest rainfall totals in the state from the first kona storm, and wind speeds were second highest in the state, according to NWS data. Flooding and wind severely damaged portions of South Maui, ‘Īao, Upper Kula, East Maui and Lahaina.

The County of Maui Department of Liquor Control will begin accepting license renewal applications on April 1, 2026. Applications may be submitted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the department’s office, 110 Ala’ihi St., Room 212, Kahului.

Caitlin Sarian, a cybersecurity expert with over 11 years of global experience, will be one of two keynote speakers for the 17th annual Hawaiʻi STEM Conference taking place on Oʻahu on April 15 and 16.

From 135 mph wind gusts on Hawaiʻi Island to 62 inches of rainfall on Maui, a recent kona low system brought weather conditions usually reserved for major hurricanes to the state. These extreme totals were captured by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Hawaiʻi Mesonet, a weather monitoring system that is mapping localized threats across areas that previously had no data available. 

Dawn Joao-Harris became the second Molokaʻi resident to earn a Commercial Driver’s License through an Maui Economic Opportunity training program and will allow MEO to restore five routes on the island suspended due to a driver shortage.

The Honolulu Festival Foundation announced Baldwin High School as the winner of the Maui Mikoshi design contest at the 30th Annual Honolulu Festival. The winning mikoshi design was unveiled on Saturday, March 14, at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

Maui Economic Opportunity is seeking responses from clients across Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i for its 2026 client survey.

About 70 customers were restored today. Crews continue to focus on restoring about 220 remaining customers. Today, some of the critical repairs involved using a helicopter in East Maui where there is no truck access to set a 55-foot pole and deliver digging equipment as well as other restorations in pockets of Maui. 

With a new kona low storm approaching, the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management encourages residents to remove clean, vegetative debris and other green waste from their properties by taking it to green waste collections locations.

As of this week, the Department has received nearly 300 work orders related to storm damage, with the majority reported on Oʻahu. The most common issues involve roof leaks and water intrusion into classrooms, accounting for about half of all reports, followed by downed trees, debris and localized flooding.

US Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution to welcome Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during her visit to the United States this week.

Maui County planners are managing a “relentless” amount of work, including permit applications for Lahaina rebuilding, while operating with 15 staff vacancies, acting Planning Director Jacky Takakura told Maui County Council members Wednesday.

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.

County of Maui officials are urging residents to prepare for a second kona low storm that is expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall to Maui County — less than a week after a powerful, prolonged kona storm caused widespread flooding and strong wind. Meanwhile, County departments are taking steps to prepare while responding to existing damages.

Easter brings a touch of springtime magic to Maui as The Shops at Wailea invites guests to a festive celebration on Sunday, March 29 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The complimentary event welcomes locals and visitors for an afternoon of family-friendly activities, including an Easter bunny meet-and-greet, face painting and a live magic performance.