Maui News

The Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau Federation have launched a coordinated relief effort to support farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers affected by the severe weather, flooding and prolonged heavy rains.

A free electronic waste (e-cycling) drop-off event will take place on Saturday, March 28, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Maui Family YMCA Westside Resource Center in Lahaina.

Maui Emergency Management Agency LIFTED evacuation warnings and advisories for most zones throughout Maui County as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2026, due to improving kona storm conditions and dissipating threats.

Governor Josh Green today announced that state offices and operations statewide will reopen following the severe weather brought by the recent kona low storm system.

In October 2023, the White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club of Washington state provided funding for shelving, storage bins, and essential supplies for the conversion of a shipping container into a resource room for the Lahainaluna High School Athletic Department.

Hawaiian Electric has restored power to almost all customers who were impacted by back-to-back Kona low weather systems. These systems have pummeled the state with gusty winds, heavy rains and catastrophic flooding since March 11.

Approximately 200,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater (backwash) overflowed at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility, 3300 Honoapiʻilani Highway, Lahaina, during kona storm 2 on March 21, 2026, according to the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management.

Three shelters on Maui closed at 5 p.m., March 22, 2026, as weather conditions from the kona storm 2 improved and shelter numbers declined, according to Maui Emergency Management Agency. Two shelters – one in South Maui and one on Moloka’i – remain open.

Hui No‘eau’s Solo Artist Exhibition 2026: Jane Mount & Michelle Schwengel-Regala is on view now through May 15, 2026. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

As a result of storm impacts and safety concerns, several schools on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu and Molokaʻi will be closed on Monday, March 23, or for the week of March 23-27. The following schools are affected: On Molokaʻi: Kaunakakai Elementary School, Kilohana Elementary School, Maunaloa Elementary School, Molokaʻi Middle School, Molokaʻi High School, HIDOE Molokaʻi complex office; On Hawaiʻi Island: Konawaena Middle School, Konawaena High School, Ke Kula ʻO ʻEhunuikaimalino, Waialua Elementary School; On Oʻahu: Waialua High & Intermediate School, Haleʻiwa Elementary School, and Sunset Beach Elementary School.

Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. announced updates to transportation and other operations countywide for Monday, March 23 – including shutdown of Molokaʻi operations – due to kona storm 2 impacts. 

Hawaiian Electric has restored power to approximately 1,200 additional customers in Waialua on the North Shore of Oʻahu whose electricity was proactively turned off Friday due to catastrophic flooding. On Maui, about 100 customers are without power. Two crews are working in Hāna to address storm-related pocket outages.

Bobcat of Maui earned a spot in the 2026 Construction Dealer Leadership Group, marking it as one of the 16 highest-performing dealerships across the United States and Canada.

Travel on Hāna Highway into East Maui is limited to emergency vehicles, essential workers and local traffic due to ongoing repair work and dangerous conditions. MPD has checkpoint enforcement from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily on Hāna Highway. Haleakalā National Park’s summit remains closed, according to the National Park Service. The public is urged not to attempt travel into these areas until further notice. Below is an ongoing list of traffic advisories:

Areas currently under Maui Emergency Management Agency evacuation WARNING are some neighborhoods in Molokaʻi, Lahaina, Kīhei and ʻĪao Valley, as well as Wailuku along ʻĪao River, and Wahikuli and Leali‘I neighborhoods below Ka La‘i Ola due to retention basin level monitoring.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is reminding people not to click on links in unsolicited text messages. Several scam text messages have been making the rounds claiming to be from the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, or the “Department of Motor Vehicles” regarding unpaid traffic violations and subsequent holds on driver’s licensing.

Evacuation advisories were issued at 10:47 a.m. today, March 22, 2026, for Kelawea Mauka III neighborhoods above the bypass in Lahaina due to potential vehicle inaccessibility from new and worsening roadway sinkholes from kona storm 2, according to Maui Emergency Management Agency. Warnings and advisories are NOT mandatory evacuation orders.

With 10 days left to go, Kahului is already experiencing its wettest month ever, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS Honolulu office released a chart showing the top 10 wettest months all time. So far this month, through March 21, Kahului has already seen 19.92 inches of rain.

Access to the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve waters is highly restricted because of the continued presence of unexploded ordnance, as well as for the protection of marine resources within the Reserve. However, during two scheduled weekends each month, limited trolling is allowed in Reserve waters deeper than 30 fathoms for vessels permitted by the KIRC.

Hawaiian Electric crews continue to assess circuits that were proactively turned off Friday due to catastrophic flooding in the North Shore area of Oʻahu. On Maui, about 100 customers are without power. Two crews are working in Hāna to address storm-related pocket outages.