Latest Fire Recovery News

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has advised motorists that Honoapi‘ilani Highway between Keawe Street and Hōkiokio Place will re-open at noon Aug. 1 for through traffic only.

Maui County residents are worried, stressed by the islands’ high cost of living and four in 10 are considering giving up and moving away, according to interviews of 2,646 residents, including 1,105 directly impacted by the August 2023 wildfires.

The project includes the installation of 52 weather stations on four islands. The weather stations, mounted on Hawaiian Electric utility poles, will provide meteorological data that will help the company to decide whether to activate and deactivate a public safety power shutoff, or PSPS. Under the PSPS program launched July 1, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in areas that are at high risk of wildfires during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions.

La‘ikū will provide 16 two-bedroom, one-bath units at 560 sq. ft. each. The homes are being built on approximately two acres of land that was previously acquired by the HDOT as part of the Lahaina Bypass project. Monthly rent for homes in La‘ikū will be $1,750, which tenants can pay via personal funds, rental assistance from FEMA, or insurance proceeds. The $3.9 million project is funded by HCF and the state of Hawai‘i and developed by CNHA, which has a five-year revocable permit to use the HDOT parcel at no cost. Completion is scheduled for September 2024.

Structural evaluations of the Pioneer Mill smokestack documented concerns about its condition, prompting the County of Maui Department of Public Works to close Lahainaluna Road between Honoapi‘ilani Highway and Kuhua Street, effective 3 p.m. Monday, July 22, 2024.

Maui County Council members unanimously approved today a resolution authorizing a global settlement of all wildfire litigation filed against the county for wrongful deaths, injuries and property damage stemming from the Aug. 8-9 wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry.

The Hawai‘i State Board of Education (Board) today approved the Hawai‘i State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) recommendation to grant a waiver that would allow for the closures of the Lahaina public schools on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently completed its Drinking Water and Wastewater mission in Lahaina as part of a multi-agency emergency response to the 2023 Maui wildfires. This mission is helping the County of Maui restore drinking water and wastewater services to the community in the wildfire-impacted areas of Lahaina.

Hawaiian Electric recently installed the first camera station in Lahaina and has plans to deploy a total of 78 stations in elevated fire risk areas on the five islands served by the company, with each location having two cameras to provide a full 360-degree view. The camera feeds will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This June, the local Maui and Honolulu chapters of AIA (American Institute of Architects), including AIA Maui President and Principal Architect at Hawaiʻi Off Grid David Sellers, welcomed AIA National President Kimberly Dowdell and AIA National CEO Laksiha Ann Woods to Hawaii. The visit to the AIA Hawaii chapters was its first in over 20 years.

Lahaina wildfire survivors will have an opportunity to participate in a Remembrance Ride to see recovery efforts for their beloved town within weeks of the one-year anniversary of the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire disaster.

Firefighters battling the Haleakalā Crater Road fire have been challenged by difficult terrain, lava fields on the mauka side of the fire, soft soil when cutting firebreaks, swirling winds and low humidity. Maui fire officials note that while each fire is different, they have identified new technologies and organization that have helped to keep agencies better connected.

The state of Hawaiʻi announced the successful conclusion of its Non-Congregate Sheltering program, which provided critical shelter and assistance to 7,796 individuals and 3,071 households displaced by the Lahaina wildfires. This program was managed by the state and the American Red Cross (ARC) and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“On the brink of our one-year anniversary of our island’s wildfires, I realize as a community we are experiencing many different emotions, and any fire can be a very concerning and distressing situation for many of us,” Mayor Bissen said. “I want to assure you that the County and the State are collectively working together to maximize resources and most importantly, keep our community safe. The safety of our community is of the utmost importance, and I encourage everyone to remain calm and continue to monitor the situation.”

Gov. Josh Green provided an update on the ongoing Maui wildfire recovery as the one year mark nears on Aug. 8, 2023. As of July 5, 2024, the state had cleared all individuals from the non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program at hotels; however, there were still 62 families that were finalizing their arrangements with the federal government to transition into longer-term housing. That’s down from the 3,071 families that were being accommodated in hotels in the aftermath of the wildfires.

Officials with the Maui Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded today to media inquiries about the timeline and process for releasing information on the cause and origin of the Aug. 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

“This budget makes historical investments in affordable housing, health care, climate and education – all of our big priority areas as a state. It will provide over $200 million for Maui’s recovery efforts through the Major Disaster Fund. In addition to what is funded in the budget, we passed historical tax reform this session which will put more money into the pockets of local families to combat inflation,” said Green.

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, in the Lahaina Civic Center gymnasium.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., issued his final veto decisions today after additional analysis and input from stakeholders. Of the 17 bills on his original Intent to Veto List, Green issued seven vetoes. He signed four bills after issuing line-item reductions, and six bills were signed into law.

The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset successfully secured a $7,200 grant from the Rotary D5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund to provide six months of laundry service for the Puʻuhonua o Nēnē shelter in Central Maui.