Latest Fire Recovery News

Gov. Green announced a Housing Hawaiʻi’s ʻOhana plan, vowing to sign into law any legislation that will help move short-term rentals and vacant investment properties owned by non-residents into the local housing market. He also is said he would declare a moratorium on all short-term rentals in West Maui if he is unable to find enough housing for displaced families in the next six weeks.

At the end of a nearly four-mile walk, community organizer Archie Kalepa addressed a crowd gathered at Launiupoko saying, “The depth of our grief and the warmth of our aloha is overwhelming. Today marks a different kind of point in the history of this place.”

Prayer, ʻoli (chanting) and protocol were practiced during the Lele Aloha Hoʻūlu Lahaina Unity Walk held Saturday morning in West Maui. “We need to come together all of Hawaiʻi. We have the opportunity to rebuild Lahaina in a pono way,” said Kalepa. “Lahaina will take the lead but we need everyone’s support.”

The US Small Business Administration’s deadline for Federal Disaster Loan applications related to the Maui wildfires is Jan. 25, 2024.

The Maui Department of Water Supply amended the Unsafe Water Advisory for Lahaina to remove area L-4D. Water serving buildings and homes in areas L-4D is declared safe for unrestricted use effective Jan. 19, 2023.

Tia L. R. Hartsock, director of the Office of Wellness and Resilience was selected by the awards committee of the Hawai‘i Psychological Association to commemorate her work on the coordinated mental health response to the Maui wildfires.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation advises the traveling public to be aware of pedestrians walking along the Lahaina Bypass (Route 3000) and Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Route 30) on Saturday morning, Jan. 20, 2024. The Lele Aloha Hoʻūlu Lahaina Unity Gathering will host a Unity Walk beginning at 8 a.m. along the Lahaina Bypass, south of the Lahainaluna Road underpass. 

A milestone moment was reached on Wednesday as the first residential property was cleared of wildfire debris on Fleming Road in Lahaina. This comes following months of coordinated reentry activities that allowed residents to gain access to their properties and assess damage. Debris removal from residential properties in Lahaina began on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Campus Health Center has been providing free birth control visits and women’s health exams to women displaced or impacted by the Maui wildfires since the first days after the Aug. 8, 2023 events.

The Maui ERC was formed in response to the wildfires that devastated Lahaina and Kula and is led by co-chairs James Kunane Tokioka, DBEDT Director, and Luana Mahi, OED Director.

Fire debris removal begins in Lahaina on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 under a collaborative effort between the County of Maui, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The temporary traffic signal near Cut Mountain will allow vehicles hauling fire debris to cross the Lahaina Bypass. The crossing will only be for debris removal vehicles and is not open to the public. The signal will be manually controlled during work hours.

All agreed the decision was a difficult one with one member calling the choice a “lose-lose situation.” Another criticized the administration, saying the council was left out of the site selection process, and now felt pressure to approve or lose funding.

Maui Firefighter Tanner Mosher was honored with a ceremonial resolution on Friday for his heroism during the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire in Lahaina. Mosher extended his gratitude to the community and apologies to the people of Lahaina saying he felt like it wasn’t enough. “I don’t feel like I would have made the choices I made if it wasn’t for my friend and coworker Tre’ Evans-Dumaran,” said Mosher.

“It is unconceivable to think that someone would selfishly take these signs, especially now, when Lahaina has suffered so much,” said Theo Morrison, executive director of Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

The Maui County Council today confirmed Mayor Richard Bissen’s appointment of Josiah Nishita to head the Department of Management. 

Wildfire recovery work in Lahaina continues on state roadways, with progress outlined for the repair of traffic signals and guardrails, assessment of opening closed areas, the installation of an emergency stormwater capture system, and monitoring traffic impacts of emergency drain line replacement work.

The Puʻuhonua Kauluwehi project will collaboratively establish a network of biocultural refuges supporting the cultivation of native plants to accelerate landscape-scale ecological restoration, food security, and community well-being strategies.

The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance has passed; however, Hawaiʻi residents and businesses have been granted a 45-day grace period, until Thursday, Jan. 25, to submit their US Small Business Administration disaster loan applications for property damage caused by wildfires. 

The partners reached a milestone in the cleanup of Lahaina with: 1,481 Tax Map Keys (TMKs) Fully Assessed; 168 Tons of Household Hazardous Materials (HHM) and Bulk Asbestos Material (BAM) Removed; 6,371 Samples Taken; 3,430 Vehicles Located; and 6,241 Trees Assessed with 202 Trees Marked as Protected and 4,678 Trees Tagged.