Latest Fire Recovery News

The collection of wooden collectable ornaments will feature participating Maui businesses and will be available for purchase starting on Nov. 3, 2023 on the HI Biz website. Organizers say 50% of the sales from these ornaments will be channeled directly to the affected businesses, aiding their efforts to recover and rebuild.

In-person outreach events for the Maui Relief TANF Program, which helps individuals with dependent children directly impacted by the wildfires, are scheduled from Saturday, Oct. 28, to Saturday, Nov. 4, in Lahaina, Upcountry and Wailuku by Maui Economic Opportunity.In-person outreach events for the Maui Relief TANF Program, which helps individuals with dependent children directly impacted by the wildfires, are scheduled from Saturday, Oct. 28, to Saturday, Nov. 4, in Lahaina, Upcountry and Wailuku by Maui Economic Opportunity.

Members of the House Finance Committee, led by Chair Kyle T. Yamashita (D-12, Upcountry Maui), visited various sites in the Lahaina wildfire disaster zone on Thursday to receive an update on recovery efforts from Federal and County officials, and identify key priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 31, in Zones 9H, 9I and 9J.

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center announced that it will recognize businesses impacted by the recent Maui wildfires with free rent for three months on a center Cart and a $2,000 cash stipend to help get them back on their feet. 

The County of Maui has submitted a request to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to utilize land in Olowalu near the closed landfill as a final disposition site for disposal of fire debris from the Aug. 8 wildfires.

The Salvation Army has created three job positions aimed at assisting Maui residents in recovery and revitalization efforts following the August 2023 wildfires.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28, in Zones 4A, 4B and 4C.

Time is running out for private nonprofits, houses of worship and government organizations to apply for a key type of federal assistance for the Hawai‘i wildfire disaster. Requests for public assistance funding from the Federal Emergency Management Administration must be filed no later than Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Mayors from Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island visited Front Street, Lahaina Harbor and a re-entry zone together for the first time on Monday. The site visit comes 11 weeks after the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire that claimed the lives of at least 99 people.

On Saturday, Phase 1 of the US Army Corps of Engineers-led removal of private property debris began with hazardous site assessments for 26 properties in Kula that were burned by the Aug. 8 wildfire.

The purpose of the rent and eviction restrictions in the Emergency Proclamation is to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis caused by the August wildfires. “If you believe that a landlord on Maui is acting illegally under the Emergency Proclamation, report what you know to the Department of the Attorney General,” department officials said.

Two-year and four-year scholarships to the University of Hawaiʻi are now available to Lahainaluna High School seniors, thanks to an anonymous philanthropist. The donor agreed to fund the scholarship extensions to two years for any UH community college or four years for any UH university.

Applications for the Maui Relief TANF program, which could cover housing, auto, clothing and utility expenses for families with children impacted by the August wildfires, will be accepted at a Maui Economic Opportunity outreach event, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Following the wildfires on August 8 that devastated areas of Maui County, a delegation from Hawaiʻi is set to meet officials in Washington D.C. this week. The primary objective is to evaluate current recovery allocations and to discuss the potential for additional resources to facilitate economic recovery and both immediate and sustainable relief for Maui County.

Hui O Ka Wai Ola increased its response to the Lahaina wildfires by launching four additional coastal water testing sites in West Maui (Māla Tavern, Māla Ramp, Papalaua Street, and Lahaina Harbor) and by hiring the organization’s first Fire Response Team Lead.

Maui police released photos of the six people who remain unaccounted for following the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire.

In partnership with the state Department of Human Services, Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. is administering the Maui Relief TANF Program that will provide help with housing, auto and utility payments and other expenses for income-eligible families with children who were directly impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires.

A group of survivors, neighbors, landowners and experts joined forces to rehabilitate Kula’s burned lands, aiming to stabilize, protect, and maintain the area to prevent further erosion.

On Maui Island, unemployment climbed to 8.4% in September 2023, a 3.7% increase from August 2023 and a 4.6% increase from a year ago, according to statistics released by the Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.