Latest Fire Recovery News

The series of remembrance events, presented as Kuhinia Maui, will take place Aug. 8 – 11, 2024. Today, the County hosts a “Paddle Out” and ocean gathering from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in waters off Hanaka‘ō‘ō Beach Park across from the Lahaina Civic Center. Shuttle details and drop-off instructions are posted at KuhiniaMaui.org. For air safety and to respect privacy, no drones are allowed.

As the one year mark since the deadly Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires is upon us, state and county leaders reflect upon the loss, recovery and vision for the future.

In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Maui last August, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaiʻi has been involved in several community efforts to help those impacted by the tragedy. One of these efforts is a grassroots collective called Laukanaka to provide and deploy traditional Native Hawaiian healing practices to those impacted by the Maui wildfires.

FEMA Contracting Officer Demetria Carter recalls that not a single local vendor ultimately awarded a FEMA contract had ever been registered before on the federal government’s System for Award Management, or SAM.gov. She did her research and reached out to companies that provide a variety of services on Maui.

Nearly a year after the Maui wildfires, about 300 wildfire survivors are still waiting for the opportunity to move into 72 units at the ʻOhana Hope Village across from King’s Cathedral in Kahului.

A year after devastating fatal wildfires swept through Maui, teachers across the island continue to deal with the tragedy’s profound impact and acknowledge the crucial role played by their union, the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association, in recovery efforts.

Within days of the worst natural disaster in state history, University of Hawaiʻi researchers began providing assistance and support on multiple fronts, including providing direct support and assessing the environmental impact and the long-term health outcomes of residents. They have also studied how to improve disaster preparedness and wildfire mitigation efforts and worked to determine the short- and long-term economic impacts.

“Having an understanding of Hawaiian culture, its outlook and its behaviors, and how it manifests into our communities, was extremely important for people to know,” said Hōkūlani Holt, Maui cultural practitioner in a FEMA interview.

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the devastating Maui wildfires, the most comprehensive study focused on understanding and mitigating the health and social impacts of the fires, has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue its groundbreaking work.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will release the first of five digitized historic Lahaina collections on its Papakilo Database on Aug. 8, 2024, one year to the day after the devastating Maui wildfires. The collection is the result of a collaborative partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reflected upon a challenging year marked by the Aug. 8 wildfires disaster. FEMA administrators say major recovery projects highlight the community’s resilience and the role of FEMA in supporting rebuilding efforts.

At the one year mark since the fires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided an update on its Kilohana group housing site. The development, located on 34 acres mauka of a cane haul road near Wahikuli Road, will provide temporary housing for 169 households, and is anticipated to be complete by the end of October 2024.

State and local government leaders joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in reflecting upon the one year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023 Maui wildfires. Leaders shared their focus on a shift toward long-term recovery while supporting the community’s resilience as it moves forward.

Matson has committed to donating $5 million in cargo transportation services to state- and county-supported Maui recovery projects, including housing. The Ka La‘i Ola project by HomeAid Hawaiʻi, the state, Maui County and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, is the first to benefit from Matson’s assistance. HomeAid Hawai‘i and its contractors are on track to complete the first 270 units by December 2024 and the remaining 180 units by the first quarter of 2025. Starting Aug. 9, 2024, Ka La‘i Ola will be welcoming ‘ohana in phased openings. 

On Tuesday, Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) Hawaiʻi unveiled its warehouse stocked with beds, comforters, and other household essentials to begin its aid to at least 300 wildfire-afflicted homeowners in a multi-year rebuilding process.

In observance of the one-year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, the Office of Recovery-West Maui in Lahaina Gateway will be closed on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. 

Hui O Ka Wai Ola will share findings from a biannual report that outlines ocean water quality conditions along a 40-mile stretch of Maui’s leeward coast. The organization will also share notable trends and patterns indicated by monitoring coastal water quality in key areas around the island, giving focus to new data from the areas of Lahaina, North Kīhei and Lāna’i.

Like a flame-thrower fueled by hurricane-force winds, the Lahaina wildfire raced mauka to makai, reducing whatever stood in its path to smoke, ash, concrete blocks and twisted metal. Then it reached the town’s iconic Banyan Tree.

The US Army Corps of Engineers will break ground next week on a critical sewer line project for the Kilohana temporary housing development, which will support 169 housing units for wildfire survivors. This project will enhance the community sewer system for Fleming Road residents and allow for future expansion.

One year after the devastating wildfires that impacted the people of Maui, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood Randall — representing President Biden — FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and US Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore Merrell will join county and state officials on Maui to commemorate the one year mark in support of the community.