Latest Fire Recovery News

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.

The past year has brought significant shocks to the housing market in Hawaiʻi. Per the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), overall transactions in 2023 was only half of what it was in 2021, and fewer single family homes were transacted in Hawaiʻi last year than in any of the last 25 years.

The Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council has been awarded the District Export Council of the Year Award by the US Department of Commerce. The honor recognizes the council’s contributions to supporting US exporters in Hawaiʻi and across the US Pacific Islands through innovative and impactful initiatives.

A community meeting to discuss the future site for King Kamehameha III Elementary School will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the cafeteria of the temporary campus, located at 100 Akahele Street in Lahaina. The goal is to ask the community for feedback on where the permanent location should be. The agenda will include presentations on the three possible location options, community feedback in small groups or individually, and an explanation of next steps in the selection process.

A waiting list opens next month for the Kaiāulu o Kūku′ia affordable apartment project located on Keawe St. in West Maui.  The project will begin accepting applications at 9 a.m. on June 24; and a lottery will be held on Aug. 20 to determine the order in which applicants are processed for eligibility.

The first permit for rebuilding a Lahaina residence destroyed in the Aug. 8 wildfire disaster was issued on Wednesday, with another 40 applicants under active review, Department of Public Works Director Jordan Molina told members of the Maui County Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday.

The US Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors are planning to do a test blast this afternoon, May 16, at approximately 1-3 p.m. weather permitting, at the Kilohana temporary housing site for wildfire survivors on Maui. Kilohana is a 34-acre site is located off of a cane haul road near Wahikuli Road in Lahaina. USACE is grading the land, installing utilities and preparing the site for 169 temporary housing units.

The Lahaina Community Land Trust announced the establishment of its new Advisory Board, comprised of members of the Lahaina community who share a commitment to preserving the unique character, culture and livability of Lahaina.

Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) received $475,000, the bulk of the funding, which will be used to supplement the Maui Fires Relief Program, the Maui Relief TANF program and the County of Maui Rental Assistance program.   Ka Hale Pōmaikaʻi on Molokaʻi was also awarded $15,000 for their KHP Housing Kōkua program.  Together, they anticipate helping approximately 50 families totaling well over 100 individuals.  Maui United Way received a 2% commission for helping to manage the process and award the monies. 

“Last October, the Administration requested $23.5 billion for disaster recovery,” the senators wrote. “Since then, the need for recovery resources in our communities have grown and evolved. The nation has also witnessed additional crises, including the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. This funding is essential for our constituents to move forward in rebuilding their homes, lives, businesses, farms and communities.”

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., proclaimed May as Wildfire Mitigation and Risk Reduction Preparedness Month. The proclamation comes nine months after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of historic Lahaina Town and claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

Four students graduating from Kīhei Charter School have taken on different challenges posed by the Maui wildfires and other statewide issued in their Senior Graduation Defense presentations. Seniors—Taylor Guindon, Tara Zamani, Sundi King and Claire Eller—presented respective projects on wildfire prevention policies, microbe research in the fire aftermath, stories of resilience from wildfire survivors, and an ʻŌhiʻa restoration project sparked by a visit to Hawaiʻi Island.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the State of Hawaiʻi’s request for a final 30-day extension of the temporary emergency Non-Congregate Sheltering (NCS) program, which has been in operation for nearly 10 months. The program is now set to end on June 10, 2024.

Following Gov. Josh Green’s signing of the 11th emergency proclamation relating to wildfires, signed into law on May 3, 2024, a landlord who wishes to terminate a lease before its effective date can only do so for two reasons, and must submit a signed affidavit to the County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns, Housing Division.

The online community survey launched by County of Maui Office of Recovery to help shape the creation of the Lahaina Recovery Plan is now available in Hawaiian, Ilocano, Spanish, Tagalog and Tongan. The survey will be available until May 19, 2024, and can be found on Maui Recovers’ “Ola Lahaina” page at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. Click on the box on the top right to select the preferred language for the survey.

“Maui is set for an extended recovery period this decade, while population slowing will reduce future growth to varying degrees across the counties,” according to the UHERO forecast.

A critical transmission line that serves as a back-up route of power to approximately 11,000 customers in West Maui is now online after Hawaiian Electric rebuilt the line along former routes in the Lahaina area with new steel and wood poles and electrical equipment. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has released findings of lead screening conducted at a series of community events between December 2023 and February 2024, among people impacted by the Maui wildfires. DOH Public Health Nurses and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB) collaborated on the project. While wildfire ash contains significant concentrations of lead, the screening results do not indicate evidence of widespread human exposure to toxins in the ash, according to a department news release.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced the County of Maui has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to conduct an After-Action Report assessing the coordination of Maui County Emergency Management Agency’s (MEMA’s) response to the Maui Wildfires that occurred in August 2023.