Latest Fire Recovery News

Maui County homeowners affected negatively by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible to receive financial assistance for mortgage, other qualified housing expenses and other resources to help them avoid foreclosure under the Maui Homeowner Assistance Fund (MHAF) Program that launches today, Monday, May 6, 2024. Homeowners displaced by the Maui Wildfires also may be eligible for assistance and are encouraged to apply.

The Federal Housing Administration will extend the foreclosure moratorium through Aug. 4, 2024, to help homeowners impacted by 2023 wildfires. FHA is taking this action due to the extent of the devastation from the wildfires, the reduced capacity for borrowers to access needed resources, and the unique challenges associated with the geographic location of Maui.

A total of 50 cats left the Maui Humane Society and the Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary last week, headed to their new life in California with the Humane Society Silicon Valley. The transport was made in collaboration with Greater Good Charities.

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least July 2, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation.

The House of Representatives officially adjourned sine die, marking the conclusion of the 32nd Legislature on Friday. House Committee on Finance Chair Kyle T. Yamashita (D-12 Upcountry Maui) said, “We approached the crafting of the state budget with careful consideration, reflecting the House’s dedication to fiscal prudence, accountability, and transparency. As we commenced this legislative session, our immediate […]

Gov. Josh Green followed through on his pledge to sign Senate Bill 2919, clarifying the counties’ authority to regulate short-term rentals. Mayor Richard Bissen has already moved ahead with introducing a bill to phase-out thousands of short-term rentals to open up long-term housing for residents.

After 175 days, the Lahaina Strong group announced its end to the occupation of Kāʻanapali Beach as part of its Fishing for Dignified Housing initiative.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. signed Senate Bill 582 into law on Thursday, allocating $385.4 million in emergency appropriations to support relief efforts on Maui, following the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires. This funding package includes provisions to assist efforts by the state and the County of Maui to support families and individuals impacted by the August 2023 wildfires, as well as bolstering the state’s One ʻOhana Fund. 

Thousands of short-term vacation rental apartments could begin switching to long-term housing for residents as early as July 1, 2025, for West Maui, and Jan. 1, 2026, for the rest of Maui County in a proposed measure announced today by Mayor Richard Bissen.

Hawaiʻi Community Lending announces a new Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program. This three-year program will assist up to 500 owner-occupant Lahaina homeowners prevent foreclosure and qualify for financing to rebuild their homes.

The County of Maui filed a third-party complaint on Wednesday in the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit, State of Hawaiʻi, against Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile US, Spectrum Mobile, and AT&T related to the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

Maui United Way stepped in today to provide emergency stop-gap funding to a hui of organizations led by Common Ground Collective dedicated to feeding vulnerable fire-impacted families on Maui’s West Side while also providing a boost to local farmers.

The state of Hawai‘i and its partners broke ground and held a Hawaiian blessing ceremony Tuesday for a Ka Laʻi Ola, a 450-unit temporary housing project in Lahaina to help displaced wildfire survivors who’re ineligible for aid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Kaiser Permanente Lahaina Clinic sign was all that was left standing after the Aug. 8 wildfire swept through historic Lahaina town and leveled the Waineʻe Street clinic where doctors and nurses cared for patients’ colds and flu, broken bones and expectant moms since opening its doors in 1969. And, so a 7.5-foot woven lei was a fitting way to connect the past, present and future at Kaiser’s official Hoʻōla (meaning to rejuvenate, to give life and energy, to heal) event Tuesday at the clinic’s new 5,200-square-foot location at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort in Kāʻanapali.

A family of four from Lahaina received keys on Tuesday to the very first home at the new Ke Ao Maluhia development at Maui Lani in Kahului. The development will serve as interim housing for Maui wildfire survivors. Located near the intersection of Pu‘umakani and Kea St., the project is a collaborative effort between the state of Hawai‘i, Maui County, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, FEMA, and the American Red Cross. The first phase, set to be completed in June, includes 34 homes. An additional 16 homes will be completed in July, for a total of 50 units.

“We cannot pretend that we are still in the wake of a smoldering burn zone, and any roof over anyone’s head is an acceptable alternative. We are too far from that moment to not think about what is happening to the island of Maui, its economy and its people,” said Sen. Schatz.

There were 206,049 visitors to Maui in March 2024, down significantly compared to 276,485 visitors (-25.5%) in March 2023 and 271,934 visitors (-24.2%) in March 2019, according to preliminary data from the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club celebrated the opening of the Manaʻolana Garden with a blessing ceremony on Monday, as part of the recovery and reforestation efforts in Lahaina. The grow hub, created in partnership with Treecovery, hosts 125 locally sourced fruit tree saplings that will be replanted in West Maui. 

The meeting will feature an update on Lahaina Harbor from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, an update on debris clearing from the US Army Corps of Engineers and information on the status of drinking water sampling from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Last year, over 56,000 wildfires burned 2.6 million acres, destroying over 4,300 home and commercial structures across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. None were as catastrophic as the Lahaina wildfire on Aug. 8, 2023, which included over 2,300 residences destroyed on Maui.