Latest Fire Recovery News

Maui families and community members are invited to meet with principals of Lahaina public schools and Hawaiʻi Department of Education leaders to share input and discuss the latest updates for reopening schools and providing educational opportunities in West Maui. Both meetings will be open to the public.

“I’m 82, and ‘Why rebuild?’ It will probably take at least two years, but with FEMA, with SBA and the immediate family—the ʻohana—that’s why I’m going to rebuild,” he said.

Former Fire Chief and Civil Defense Director for Hawaiʻi County, Darryl Oliveira was named the interim Administrator at the Maui Emergency Management Agency during a press conference on Friday evening. He fills the spot left vacant by the resignation of Herman Andaya on Aug. 17, 2023, who cited health concerns as the reason for his departure. “We are honored to […]

There are 115 confirmed fatalities with 99% of the entire search area completed by Friday evening. Maui police have identified 38 individuals publicly following notification of next of kin, including three additional individuals on Friday evening.

Families who currently have a federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher with the County of Maui and who have been displaced by the Lahaina and Kula fires will not lose their housing assistance.

The state Department of Transportation is installing nearly 30,000 linear feet of dust screen for the protection of highway users on Honoapiʻilani Highway (Route 30) and the Lahaina Bypass (Route 3000).

Lahaina District Court cases and services are being addressed at Hoapili Hale, the main courthouse in Wailuku located at 2145 Main St.  

Representative Jill Tokuda and Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced that their offices are holding a federal resource fair for constituents on Maui impacted by the devastating fires. The resource fair is happening this Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Lahaina from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.   

FEMA will conduct eligibility reviews by mid-September, after which survivors who have registered for FEMA assistance and whose homes are deemed uninhabitable, may remain in a hotel until they find their own housing solution or do so with the help of a dedicated caseworker.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced the availability of a disaster recovery jobs portal for Maui to help workers and businesses impacted by the wildfires. The portal provides access to all currently available jobs on Maui as maintained by the DLIR. 

Kaiser Permanente is moving its mobile health vehicle from its current location at Lahaina Gateway Center to Nāpili Park beginning Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. The decision to move the mobile health vehicle was driven by a higher demand from the community for medical services in the Nāpili area. 

Maui Health’s Community Response Team continues to provide first aid, health and wellness checks, and pharmacy services for community members on the west side at its outreach clinic located at the Hyatt Maui. Care is provided free of charge to all community members in need, regardless of health insurance.

Kamaka Air facilitated 10 evacuation flights and multiple free cargo flight deliveries with more than 65,000 pounds of essential supplies, such as food, clothing, medicine, and household goods for citizens affected by the crisis.

Maui Wildfire Disaster updates for Aug. 24 are posted HERE. County officials released a list of 388 people  who have been reported as unaccounted for from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire disaster. An additional FEMA Disaster Recovery Center will fully opens today at the Hannibal Tavares Community Center, 91 Pukalani St. in Makawao. To date, more than 10,000 FEMA assistance registrations have been received, with nearly $13.2 million in federal housing and individual assistance provided. 

Maui County officials say they have validated 388 individuals who have been reported as unaccounted for from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire disaster. “We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” said Police Chief John Pelletier. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed. This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”

“Individuals that do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance may be eligible for DUA benefits beginning the week of Aug. 13, 2023, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D.

Vacant PO Boxes at Post Offices across Maui will be temporarily made available at no charge to Lahaina residents who lost their homes or their Lahaina Downtown Post Office PO Boxes to the recent wildfire. 

Maui police have identified 35 individuals publicly following notification of next of kin, including eight additional individuals on Thursday evening.

Ad 2 Hawaiʻi invites Maui-based nonprofits to apply for its 2023-2024 Public Service Campaign, offering pro-bono marketing services with a focus on aiding Maui’s wildfire-affected community.

While the initial results are reassuring, the Maui DWS’ Unsafe Water Advisories remain in place at this time. The process to amend the Unsafe Water Advisory will be based on a comprehensive review of multiple lines of evidence.