The Maui Volunteer Coalition for Recovery in partnership with the Ho‘ōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group, is offering a limited number of complimentary POINT Pro subscriptions to Maui’s nonprofit organizations. This initiative aims to strengthen volunteer management systems and enhance capacity to support wildfire recovery efforts.

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

The Rotary Club of Northbrook, Illinois, extended a heartfelt proposal to the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, aiming to bring joy to children affected by the Lahaina fires this Christmas season.

A Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center has departed to Washington D.C. where they will demand that Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina. 

A newly released 250-page coffee table book, “Big Hearts on a Little Island,” tells the story of how the people of Maui stepped up to help after the devastating 2023 wildfires, from author and Maui resident Victoria Moore.

A “Helping Lahaina Heal: Mastering Your Money” workshop, offered by Maui Economic Opportunity, will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Lahaina Recovery Center in the Lahaina Gateway.

Mayor Richard Bissen announced the selection of John Smith, a leader with the County of Maui’s Department of Public Works, to serve as the new administrator of the County’s Office of Recovery. County officials say Smith has been instrumental in leading infrastructure restoration efforts following the recent wildfires. In his new capacity, he will now oversee the County’s comprehensive recovery efforts.

Maui Council Chair Alice L. Lee announced that the Maui County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center Social Hall on a proposed ordinance for the Kahoma Village project, where five residential buildings were destroyed in the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires. Lee said the council will also hold special meetings Dec. 13 and 23 in the Council Chamber to discuss bills amending land-use and development standards for the Honua‘ula development—a 670-acre, multiuse housing project in South Maui. To view meeting agendas, visit mauicounty.us/agendas.

The Hawai‘i Community Foundation is awarding over $2 million dollars in Maui Strong Fund grants to 24 nonprofit partners providing culturally relevant and holistic mental health resources to families, individuals, and youth affected by the Maui wildfires. The nonprofit partners will use the funds to provide a broad range of services including art therapies, trauma-informed workshops, Hawaiian language and cultural immersion education, and peer-to-peer mental health support for youth.

The US Senate unanimously passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which includes Tokuda and Hirono legislation to lessen the tax burden on survivors of the Maui wildfires. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Today, the full House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act – introduced by US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) – marking another significant step forward in her efforts to support the community in recognizing Lahaina’s historic and cultural importance. 

After months of preparation, Habitat for Humanity Maui is embarking on the next step to help Maui wildfire survivors rebuild their homes and lives. The devastating wildfire that swept through Lahaina and Kula on Aug. 8, 2023, destroyed over 2,200 homes, leaving thousands of families displaced and in need of urgent support. The nonprofit organization has partnered with multiple community agencies to help survivors return to their homes, and is now calling on individuals, businesses, and organizations to join in this critical mission, providing the resources needed to restore stability for those affected.

Hauling for the state’s Ka Laʻi Ola housing site in Lahaina will take place nightly on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30 beginning at 9 p.m. The transport for the FEMA Kilohana project is scheduled nightly, beginning at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30 and Sunday, Dec. 1.

Once complete, the Kilohana modular housing project will become a temporary haven for up to 167 individuals and families – a Lahaina location where wildfire survivors can plan for the future. 

The first home to be rebuilt in Kula after the August 2023 wildfires was commemorated on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, with a blessing, representing another step forward in recovery after the fires.  After all final inspections were completed last week, homeowner Thomas Liu, 83, said he will be moving out of a rental and into the completed two-bedroom, 860-square-foot cottage this month while work continues to rebuild the main house on his Kulalani Drive property. 

The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, legislation jointly introduced by US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and US Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI). The bicameral legislation will direct the National Park Service, in coordination with Maui County and other state and local partners, to study the suitability and feasibility of a National Heritage Area designation for Lahaina. The bill now goes to the Senate Floor for consideration.

With the rebuilding of homes underway and the commercial cleanup nearly finished, businesses say the timing is crucial to rebuild and provide jobs for returning residents.

In the first round of the Lahaina HERO Awards program, 300 Lahaina teachers, staff members and administrators will receive a monetary award ranging from $2,500 for eligible full time salaried employees to around $1,000 for part time staff and casual employees. The governor also announced a $20M Lahaina workforce housing project to build a 47 unit rental complex at Lahainaluna High School.

The State Historic Preservation Division is considering developing sensitivity maps and one archaeological monitoring plan that all residential and commercial property owners can use so they don’t have to develop and pay for individual ones.

Hundreds gathered at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for the 2024 Piʻo Summit: Hulihia: Fire and Rain, a free series of forums focused on leveraging ancestral ʻike (knowledge) to support long-term recovery efforts for communities affected by the Lahaina wildfires and the 2018 Kauaʻi floods.