Latest Fire Recovery News

The bill would direct key federal agencies to use AI tools to improve weather forecasting, crack down on illegal deforestation and optimize electrical grids.

Mayor Richard Bissen and officials from the County’s Office of Recovery announced temporary modular home group housing projects being planned in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State of Hawaiʻi and private developers to provide an estimated 4,000 interim housing units for wildfire survivors. The information was shared at the Disaster Recovery Community Update meeting held at the Lahaina Civic Center on Wednesday night.

Preliminary data on coastal water quality monitoring in West Maui was presented Wednesday at a public speaker series featuring Andrea Kealoha, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

While thousands of wildfire survivors remain displaced, Maui County Council members heard Tuesday a proposal for the state to purchase the former 216-room Maui Sun Hotel property in central Kīhei and convert it into long-term affordable workforce housing and a public prekindergarten facility.

Individuals and households impacted by the Maui wildfires—including those without dependent children—may be eligible for Maui Relief TANF Program assistance with housing, car, utility, clothing and school supply payments in a major expansion of the program.

The community is encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the Lahaina Civic Center to hear about the County’s interim housing plan.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., signed the 10th Emergency Proclamation Relating to Wildfires, which contains amendments from previous versions aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing for Maui residents, especially those displaced due to the deadly wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023.

The County of Maui is seeking the owners of 21 intact vehicles that were removed from the Lahaina wildfire disaster zone for debris cleanup progression. The vehicles were deemed salvageable based on their appearance of little to no visible outer damage to the vehicle, but the County makes no warranty regarding the condition of any of these vehicles.

The Hawaiʻi Workers Center, a grassroots organization focused on the well-being of workers held a press conference in Lahaina last week in the hopes of tackling housing issues impacting wildfire survivors.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate Committee on Ways and Means passed out several bills aimed at addressing key priorities for the Senate, including bills to assist in wildfire recovery, agriculture, economic development, homelessness and housing.

“Locally, the Maui wildfires continued to impact visitors to Maui six months after the tragedy,” said Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Director James Kunane Tokioka. “Maui’s visitor counts decreased by 23.5% compared to January 2023, although there has been progress from August 2023 when visitor arrivals were down by 57.8%. With the active recovery efforts and campaigns, we hope to see continuous improvements over the upcoming months,” he said.

Today marks the first day that wildfire survivors can apply for the One ‘Ohana Fund. The fund is for survivors who lost loved ones and survivors who suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized as a result of the disaster.

Local residents and organizations are invited to participate in an event at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. This event aims to match individuals in need of temporary or permanent housing with state, federal and local organizations assisting individuals and families in need of housing support.

The Central Maui Landfill will be the final disposal site for an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of toxic ash and debris left in the aftermath of the Aug. 8 wildfire that leveled Lahaina Town.

During their meeting, Kouchi and Hashimoto urged Ambassador Tai to recognize the unique situation that West Maui is in as it attempts to recover from the wildfire, and to advocate for the construction of 1,000 permanent FEMA-built housing units to house wildfire survivors.

The US Army Corps of Engineers announced on Tuesday the successful installation and turnover of the newly constructed temporary campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary School students in Lahaina to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery invites residents to participate in an online feedback activity on its recently launched Ola Lahaina page, a hub for online community engagement for Lahaina’s wildfire recovery efforts. The feedback activity will be available through March 15, 2024, and can be found at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. 

Kupu, a conservation and youth education nonprofit, is accepting applicants for its Kupu ʻĀina Corps Wildfire Recovery Initiative dedicated to wildfire recovery and resilience work on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, until the deadline on March 1, 2024.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. announced details surrounding the planned launch of the One ‘Ohana Fund on March 1, and provided a housing update for wildfire survivors. While earlier this month, the governor said a moratorium would “not likely” be needed during his six month update, he revisited the idea today.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the March edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Andrea Kealoha, assistant professor of the Department of Oceanography at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, on Wednesday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.