Latest Fire Recovery News

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.

Maui County is offering assistance to residents taking a survey to share their input on the permanent location for ash and debris removed from the Aug. 8 wildfire burn zones in Lahaina.

A $50,000 donation was gifted to Family Life Center for Maui wildfire-relief efforts during check presentation Sunday. The funds, provided by South Korea’s Yoido Full Gospel Church will support the 88 unit ʻOhana Hope Village emergency housing project.

The Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation has awarded a $155,000 grant to the Maui Emergency Feeding Taskforce, a grassroots community effort coordinated by Common Ground Collective.

The Red Cross today announced the daily feeding program will come to an end on Feb. 10, 2024 for Lahaina wildfire survivors residing in condominiums with kitchens as part of the non-congregate sheltering program. While daily feeding will no longer be included for the specified group, the Red Cross announced a new partnership with Maui Food Bank that supports the establishment of a fixed food hub on the West side and the launch of a mobile food pantry service to supplement household food needs.

Maui visitor arrivals were up in December to the highest levels in the nearly five months since the August Lahaina wildfire disaster, according to preliminary statistics from the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

After his appointment to the 10th House District seat and the beginning of this year’s lawmaking session, Tyson Miyake is reading hundreds of bills, attending countless meetings and finding he’s not just another fresh face at the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

Two West Maui locations and the Central Maui Landfill are under consideration as permanent disposal sites for an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of ash and debris to be removed from Lahaina wildfire burn zones.

As of Friday, Jan. 26, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that 5,290 people remained housed in 28 hotels as part of the program.