Latest Fire Recovery News

This additional funding is a second allocation awarded to help communities in Maui recover in the wake of the devastating wildfires. HUD provided $1.3 million in RUSH funding in August 2023.

Gary Grube, founder and President of the Hua Momona Foundation said food insecurity isn’t the only issue families face. “Ongoing instability of income, healthcare, and housing is also weighing on westside families,” he said.

More than 200 community members joined with faith leaders from 13 Lahaina churches to offer prayers during a gathering Thursday in observance of the six-month mark after the Lahaina fire.

Hawaiʻi 3R’s is accepting playground equipment from the Berliner Play Equipment Corporation to be installed at the temporary Lahaina school campus in West Maui. The Germany-based company is donating the equipment to support students as they make a new start at the temporary site in upcoming weeks. 

Six months after the Aug. 8 Maui wildfire disaster, the Maui County Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee recommended passage of a bill to lower permitting hurdles and allow fire survivors to rebuild sooner rather than later.

CocoNene celebrated the grand opening Monday of its new store at the Kīhei Kalama Village. The store known for its made-in-Hawaiʻi products lost its flagship location on Front Street during the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire.

Today, Gov. Josh Green, M.D. expressed confidence that positive progress is being made in the transition of wildfire survivors from hotels to long-term housing, making a moratorium on short-term rentals “not likely.”

Starting Monday, Feb. 12, a new system will take effect to allow private property contractors to access the Lahaina Wildfire Disaster zone for rebuilding, while keeping the area safe during debris removal, officials announced.

About half of Maui residents impacted by the August wildfires say their health is worse now compared to a year ago and more than half say they lost their jobs because of the fires, according to a new report issued by the University of Hawaiʻi. Over at least the next 10 years, the study aims to document the acute and chronic health impacts and social conditions caused by one of the most deadly and destructive natural disasters in Hawaiʻi history.

Six months after the August’s wildfires on Maui, the American Red Cross continues to care for nearly 5,000 affected residents in the temporary emergency non-congregate sheltering program.

The 212-unit, low-income Aikanaha rental housing project underwent review Wednesday morning by the Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee. The project could be the first buildout in the Waikapū Country Town development.

The severe-weather hardening of island power grids will cost approximately $190 million, with half paid by the federal government and half coming from Hawaiʻi power consumers, according to an announcement from Hawaiian Electric Co.

Maui Humane Society will open its new Lahaina Pet Resource Center on Feb. 7, 2024, following a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony at 11 a.m. A mobile veterinary clinic event will be held following the ceremony, offering free wellness services to pets affected by the fire.

The County of Maui Disaster Recovery Community Update meetings in Lahaina will resume Feb. 21, after being canceled this week to focus on a community gathering observing the six-month mark after the Lahaina fire.

Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, formerly on Front Street in Lahaina Town and destroyed by the fire, announced the start of regular services at 8 a.m. every Sunday in Nāpili.

Nearly six months after the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire, Maui police released a 98-page preliminary after-action report outlining 32 recommendations.

Bill 21 seeks to broaden the applicability of emergency-repair provisions and clarify the review and approval procedures for emergency-repair permits. Approximately 1,100 residential properties would qualify under the bill’s expedited permitting process.

The gathering will offer a time for community members to honor lost loved ones and come together in prayer for comfort, healing and hope. Faith leaders from different Lahaina churches will offer prayers as part of the gathering.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the February edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Susan Frett of Pacific Whale Foundation, on Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The Army Corps of Engineers completed its final phase of the federal wildfire response in Kula ahead of schedule last month, with their focus now shifting to West Maui. Volunteers in Kula say there’s more to be done and the remaining cleanup likely rests on the shoulders of residents.