Amos Lonokailua-Hewett has been selected as the new administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, effective Jan. 1, 2024. He brings to the position 25 years of service with Maui Fire Department before retiring in 2019 as a battalion chief.

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature announced that the Grants-In-Aid process for the 2024 Legislative Session is now open, and interested parties are asked to submit their applications to the Legislature by the Jan. 19, 2024 deadline.

Maui County residents impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires who relocated to Kaua‘i, O‘ahu or Hawai‘i Island may apply for the Maui Relief TANF Program for families with dependent children through Community Action Programs on those islands.

Celebrated chef and TV personality Guy Fieri teamed up with the Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association, American Savings Bank and Fiserv, Inc., to distribute $600 prepaid debit cards to Lahaina restaurant workers who lost their job when their workplace was destroyed in the tragic wildfires on Aug. 8.

“The impact of the Maui wildfires continues to be felt in November’s figures, but with most of West Maui now reopened to tourism, there is a concerted effort to reinvigorate job opportunities and facilitate the economic recovery of Maui,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka.

Kaleo Manuel, the First Deputy on the state Commission on Water Resource Management is apparently leaving his post after being reassigned following the August wildfires, and then reinstated two months later following an investigation by the Attorney General.

“These devices play a crucial role in facilitating the processing of FEMA paperwork, unemployment claims, insurance matters, as well as aiding in education, housing, and employment searches, accessing support services, and maintaining connections with family and friends,” according to organization leaders.

The petition from a family on Olowalu Village Road says even temporary storage of these substances from the Aug. 8 wildfires “poses great risk of causing irreversible damage to soil, water, air, the ocean and people.”

Effective Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, operational hours will be modified for the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center. 

Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a community-based water-quality monitoring organization, was awarded funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to increase its collection of West Maui water quality data in response to the Lahaina wildfire.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns the public of online classified advertisements that are luring Maui wildfire survivors with false offers of available rental units. “People are learning too late that the cash they paid for a security deposit went to a scammer instead,” according to a FEMA news release.

The nonprofit foundation, For Children to Flourish, is funding and organizing Trilogy Catamaran trips for families impacted by the August wildfire in Lahaina.

The disaster left all the restaurants’ 120 employees without jobs, and at least 60 of them also lost their homes and vehicles. Determined to help their Maui ʻohana, the Corpuels set up a GoFundMe campaign that has since raised over $150,000 in support of employees and their families.

In observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, County of Maui disaster-related resources will have a modified schedule. 

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Board of Directors has approved an immediate six-month action plan for 2024 to help address major challenges confronting residents, small businesses, visitor industry providers, Maui’s economy, and families seeking housing following the August wildfires.

FEMA will pause operations at the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center on Maui and the FEMA Helpline on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The Maui Relief TANF Program has provided an array of assistance – from housing to clothing – to more than 450 families with children and about 1,700 individuals impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires in the two months since the program began.

State and federal responders have completed recovery and removal operations in or adjacent to Lahaina Harbor. The US Army Corps of Engineers will conduct final disposition of fire-damaged vessels and incident-generated debris removed during harbor operations.

In the wake of the challenges posed by the wildfires, Maui Public Art Corps collaborated with students across the region to channel their emotions and reflections into a powerful visual representation of unity and strength. “The result is a vibrant collection of drawings that encapsulate the indomitable spirit of the Maui community,” organizers said.

The County of Maui aims to make it easier for residents to request and receive public records in accordance with Hawai’i law, thanks to software technology modernization, the county Department of the Corporation Counsel announced today.