Latest Fire Recovery News

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a series of resume workshops in June, intended to hire residents for long-term positions with FEMA in Maui County.  

The Maui Police Department’s fledgling helicopter program experienced some turbulence this week during a Maui County Council committee meeting when questions surfaced about the proposed air unit’s projected costs.

The Kibou for Maui Project in Japan hosted a Maui leadership delegation from May 19 to 23, 2024, to facilitate an educational and strategic exchange between Maui recovery effort leaders and experts in Japan’s Tohoku region, which underwent significant rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Maui County does not have water available in West Maui for the Pulelehua project, a long planned development seen as a scarce opportunity to provide desperately needed housing for Lahaina residents displaced by the August wildfires.

Sacred Hearts School held its 2024 eighth grade graduation on Wednesday, May 29 at Sacred Hearts Mission Church in Kapalua, marking a significant milestone in a year defined by extraordinary challenges and remarkable resilience. The school, which was originally located in Lahaina, transitioned to Kapalua following the devastating fire on Aug. 8, 2023, that severely damaged half of their Lahaina campus.

For the first time since 2014, Hawaiʻi Foodbank has released a comprehensive report detailing the state of food insecurity across Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiian Electric Company unveiled details today regarding its Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS program for lessening the risk of wildfires in Hawaiʻi, which will launch on July 1. As part of this program, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in certain areas it has identified as high risk during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. In Maui County, the program will start in West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of central Molokaʻi (affecting approximately 26,100 customers).

Since the fund began accepting applications on March 1, 2024, 48 registrations have been received from families who lost loved ones in the August 2023 wildfires, while 17 have been submitted by injured survivors.

The deadline is fast approaching for COFA citizens who were affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. The 60-day application period ends Friday, May 31.

Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) has announced it will open applications for the Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program on July 1, 2024. To secure a space and to be placed on an interest list, complete an interest form online.

The Disaster Recovery Center and Community Resource Center will continue providing help in West Maui to wildfire survivors June 30, according to an announcement.

More than a dozen Maui teachers flew to Oʻahu on Thursday to ask for more support following devastating wildfires last August. Designated as a hard-to-staff location for years, West Maui is experiencing a critical teacher shortage as many educators are still piecing together their lives, or were forced to leave the area entirely, according to the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Educators on Maui are asking for increased shortage differentials for West Maui teachers, the creation of a fire relief leave bank, and more robust mental health support for all who were impacted, including displaced students. 

Four Maui businesses impacted by the fires last August were selected for three months of rent relief and a $2,000 business scholarship at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center. As part of Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s #ExtendAloha campaign to spread awareness and raise funds for the community, Maui businesses that needed help getting back on their feet were encouraged to apply for the leasing space opportunity within the center. 

The program is open to high school juniors and seniors who were directly impacted by the Maui wildfires. Selected cohort members will participate in training sessions on Maui, followed by a week-long trip to Higashimatsushima in the Tohoku region of Japan. Cohort members will learn about disaster recovery, meet with students from Higashimatsushima, and participate in workshops led by local community organizers directly involved in the recovery efforts following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

On Tuesday night, the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) sought community feedback on the site selection for King Kamehameha III Elementary School to rebuild its permanent location, after its original campus was lost to the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire.

A new travel gift program was announced on Wednesday, providing more than 3,000 roundtrip Alaska Airlines flights, as well as Disneyland tickets and accommodations to Maui families affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires.

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the US Forest Service is awarding more than $5.6 million to help plan for and prevent wildfires in Hawaiʻi. The funding, made available through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program, will be allocated to nine projects across the state to help at-risk communities plan for and reduce the risk of wildfires.

Residents are invited to attend Mayor Richard Bissen’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22. The weekly meeting, previously held in the gymnasium, will move to the downstairs social hall at Lahaina Civic Center.

The US Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors released its blasting plan for the Kilohana temporary housing site today. The contractor will generally blast once a day between 2-4 p.m., weather permitting, Monday through Saturday, for approximately the next 65 days. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s current extension for the non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program is now set for June 10, 2024. On May 31, 2024, the state of Hawaiʻi will cease its feeding operations at NCS designated hotel sites. State officials say they are postured to assist during this period of transition and are actively working on developing strategies and resources to support individuals and families who will be affected by the end of these services.