Latest Fire Recovery News

UHERO forecast: “There remain a host of uncertainties surrounding Maui’s future recovery path, including how fast residents can be moved from hotels to more permanent housing, the speed of ongoing cleanup work, the extent and duration of support programs, and how long and in what fashion rebuilding will occur.”

Officials from County of Maui and from federal agencies will be offering information and updates about debris removal, transportation and containment of debris and ash for properties in the Lahaina Wildfire Disaster Area during a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Residents previously scheduled to relocate to new American Red Cross non-congregate shelter locations between Dec. 15 and Dec. 18 have been extended in their current hotel sheltering locations until after the holidays, according to a Red Cross update.

Holidays For Lahaina along with the help of donors, have organized a Christmas For Lahaina celebration. The event will take place on Thursday, Dec, 21, 2023, at 6 p.m., at The Ritz Carlton, Kapalua, West Maui. The event is NOT open to the public.

Weekly air sampling conducted by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health in Kula continues to show good air quality.

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency and the County of Maui are using the 3D technology to better visualize the extent of damage in Lahaina as they design a recovery plan.   

The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program program will be available through the end of its current activation period, ending Dec. 16, 2023. Individuals enrolled in the program are urged to fill/renew their prescriptions before the EPAP closes. 

In light of the recent wildfires on Maui and in Mililani Mauka and the continued forecast for drought conditions throughout the state, both state and city leaders hosted a Wildfire Prevention and Disaster Preparedness Workshop.

Choice Health Bar makes a comeback to the Westside, reopening their location at Whalers Village in Kāʻanapali this week. The Whalers Village location is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The program is dedicated to Native Hawaiian families that experienced transportation loss due to the Maui wildfires in August 2023. The program provides vehicle financing with deferred payments for 12 months and a one time grant of up to $5,000 to replace a vehicle lost in the fires.

CocoNene, a local brand known for its made in Hawaii products, announced the grand opening of their new store in Māʻalaea, Maui at the Maui Harbor Shops. This new location marks a poignant milestone for the brand’s recovery journey after the loss of their Lahaina flagship store.

US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) met with Housing and Urban Development officials on Tuesday to discuss the agency’s efforts to support federal housing residents impacted by the Maui fires.

Registration for Day of Hope opens Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center.  The event will be emceed by local comedians Da Braddahs and offers a range of resources and activities including free hot meals, groceries, baby supplies, entertainment, photos with Santa and more. 

Reentry into the 83 zones established for the 2,170 acres in the five-mile Lahaina impact area concluded more than a week ahead of schedule. The process started with the first residential zone opening for reentry Sept. 25 and 26 on Kaniau Road.

“Lahaina is just one example. Every community devastated by a disaster deserves help. Help that is timely, predictable, consistent, and proportional to the needs of the recovery,” said Sen. Schatz.

In the spirit of hope and community resilience, The Salvation Army’s “Magical Maui Christmas” event brought warmth and love to over 2,000 Maui wildfire survivors. The event took place at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center on Dec. 9, 2023, with the goal of creating a memorable Christmas experience for survivor families to uplift their spirits and bring some much-needed holiday joy. 

In the spirit of bringing some Christmas joy to students affected by the wildfires in Lahaina, retired nurse Linda Higgins of Los Gatos, Calif., led a project to deliver hundreds of handmade Christmas stockings, stuffed with candy and small presents.

Goodwill Hawaiʻi was recently awarded a new one-year contract by the State of Hawaiʻi DLIR Office of Community Services to provide Employment Core Services to Lahaina’s immigrant population or any other Maui resident who was displaced from work as a direct or indirect result of the Maui fires in August.

Mayor Richard Bissen will host a series of talk story sessions for residents of Kula and Lahaina who have been impacted by the Aug. 8 fires. Sessions will be held for small groups to offer time for participants to share mana’o and ask questions.

The draft plan called “Tourism Support for Maui’s Recovery” was developed for the purpose of how best to respond to the Tourism Emergency Declaration issued on Aug. 19 by Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green due to the Aug. 8 fires.