Latest Fire Recovery News

A total of 464 Lahaina properties have been cleared by EPA of household hazardous materials. Two business zones re-opened on Wednesday, Sept. 13: Lahaina Cannery parcel and a business area that some know as Lahaina Business Park.

Young Brothers has shipped much cargo for Maui fire relief efforts, including a mobile medial unit and communications trailer for Kaiser Permanente.

Properties with inactive service should NOT flush toilets, allow water down drains even if service appears operable. Although a toilet may appear to continue to flush and water may drain initially, if the service is not active, the property will risk eventual sewage backing up within the home or business.

Council member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins announced today that the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet in the Council Chamber on Monday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. and on Sept. 27 at The Westin Maui Resort and Spa in Kāʻanapali, to discuss a resolution to develop a comprehensive recovery and resiliency plan in response to the August wildfires.

FEMA is hiring on Maui. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is seeking writers, liaisons, planners, historic preservation and geospatial information specialists, and digital communications specialists, to name a few. Four job fairs will be held Sept. 14-17 in Kahului, Lahaina and Wailuku.

As of 10 a.m. on Sept. 13, County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions have been lifted for Business Zones 5B and 5E, which includes the Lahaina Cannery Mall parcel and the business area of Kupuohi and Ulupono streets.

“Most of the 13 boats, as well as the pier they’re tied to, appear to be largely untouched by the flames of Aug. 8,” according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. “One boat, the Reel Luckey, the last name of its owners, is a metaphor for the line of white vessels, still afloat in stark contrast to the blackened landscape, buildings, and harbor structures.”

US Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned a panel of experts about how artificial intelligence (AI) has reportedly been used to spread disinformation and sow mistrust in the federal government during times of disaster, specifically in the wake of the Maui wildfires.

Effective Sept. 12, 2023, the Department of Water Supply announces that the Unsafe Water Advisory for Upper Kula has been amended to remove Zone 1 from the affected area. Water serving homes and buildings in Zone 1 has been determined to be safe for unrestricted use. To determine if your address is in a specific zone, please refer to the interactive map at the following link:  Zone Map

The Maui Police Department released the name of one more victim from the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire. Police today confirmed the identity of: Buddy Carter, 85, of Lahaina.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will be offering a distance learning hub for K-8 Lahaina students starting Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Citizen Church located at 4275 Hine Way in Lahaina. The learning hub will provide distance learning students with in-person opportunities for teacher support and peer socialization, as well as access to meals, recess, social-emotional learning and other resources.  Two additional learning hubs in the works for West Maui students

As the community begins the recovery process after the devastating Lahaina and Upcountry wildfires, groups like the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, are turning to the ocean to gather baseline conditions of coral reefs before impacts like fire-related runoff occur.

Private nonprofits and government organizations seeking Federal Emergency Management Administration public assistance funding can learn more about how to apply at informational briefings this month on Maui and online.

The team has collected water samples from Kula and Lahaina that are being tested for contaminants in labs on Maui and Oʻahu. Ten samples had been tested as of Aug. 27 and about 60 more are headed to the labs.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm came to Maui to offer federal help for energy recovery from the fires and tout the US Energy Department’s $95 million grant to Hawaiian Electric for grid infrastructure improvements and wildfire mitigation.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health received access today to preliminary, unvalidated data of baseline air sampling conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui. 

The Maui Police Department released the name of three more victims from the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire. Police today confirmed the identity of: Bibiana “Bhing” Lutrania, 58; Glenn Yoshino, 75; and Rafael Imperial, 63. All three are from Lahaina.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education will begin free bus service on Thursday, Sept. 14, for Lahainaluna High students to their temporary school site at the Kūlanihākoʻi High School campus in Kīhei.

The presence of toluene was detected after the Upper Kula Wildfire in August of 2023. This strongly suggests its presence was an artifact of the wildfire impacting the surface water source for the Upper Kula Treatment Plant, according to the DOH. Further monitoring is planned by MDWS at the Upper Kula Treatment Plant.

The donation represents 100% of the net proceeds from both Reyn Spooner in-store and online sales of all Lahaina Sailor products from Aug. 11-31, 2023, including men’s and women’s apparel, kids’ clothing, and accessories.