Fire Survivor Resources

FEMA is providing information to make it easier for the public seeking assistance to differentiate between Critical Needs Assistance and Individual Assistance Grants.

Maui Economic Opportunity has created a Maui Fires Transitional Housing program for families and individuals displaced by the disaster and is in need of draft leases of at least six months for available rental units.

Cancer survivors who have been impacted by the Lahaina fire can schedule free one-hour medical consultations with Dr. Bridget Bongaard, Medical Director of Maui Cancer Resources.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement will open the Kākoʻo Maui Resource Hub on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 at the Maui Mall in Kahului, providing a cultural approach for streamlined access to aid and services to fire victims. The hub will be managed by Lahaina resident, Kukui Keahi who lost both her home and job as a result of the fires.

Kaiser Permanente will add a second mobile health trailer in West Maui to provide medical services at no cost to its members and the public.

Low-interest federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are now available to small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in Hawaiʻi, Honolulu and Kauaʻi counties as a result of wildfires that began Aug. 8 in Maui County.

This second event aims to provide insurance and banking assistance to the Maui community, featuring representatives from various insurance companies and financial institutions. Last weekend’s event was cut short due to an evacuation.

A Disaster Recovery Center will open Friday, Sept. 1, in Lahaina to help residents who were affected by the wildfires learn about local, state and federal assistance programs.

The State of Hawaiʻi and Maui County have launched the Maui Disaster Support Call Center to provide a central assistance hub for community members affected by the Maui wildfires.

Department officials tell Maui Now that of the more than 1,700 outstanding students, some may have moved out of state, enrolled in private schools, or have taken a pause while they await the reopening of their Lahaina campus.

The state Department of Health’s Maui District Health Office continues its response to the Maui wildfires. Through its Maui District Health Office and local partners, the Department provided updates on behavioral health services, emergency prescription assistance, unsafe water advisories, and the prevention of respiratory and vector-borne diseases.

To meet survivors’ needs, teams are going to neighborhoods, visiting temporary housing sites and are making themselves available to answer questions at Disaster Recovery Centers.

Less than one-third (29%) of those surveyed have yet to create a comprehensive emergency plan for natural disasters, while just 1 in 10 have embraced modern tools such as disaster-related apps or text notifications from official national disaster resource agencies. And only 10% of older adults follow national disaster resource organizations on social media such as FEMA, American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

Maui Wildfire Disaster updates for Aug. 30 are posted HERE. Maui police plan to release an updated list on Friday, of unaccounted for individuals from the Lahaina wildfire disaster. Multiple lists were merged into a pool of more than 1,000 names earlier in the investigation.  That was narrowed to 388 last week to focus on individuals where a first and last name was available as well as a verified contact number for the person who reported them missing.

President Biden announced the Department of Energy is providing $95 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to harden Hawaiʻi’s electric grid. The funding will replace wooden poles with fire-resistant material and strengthen critical transmission lines, including two on Maui.

Homeowners and renters whose primary residence was damaged or destroyed by the fires may apply for up to $3,000 in initial assistance per household. Applications are open through Dec. 31, 2023, and are available at https://www.hawaiirealtors.com/mauirelief/.

Maui United Way’s Emergency Financial Assistance program has received more than 7,000 unique individual requests for financial help. The program offered a one-time $1,000 financial assistance payment, not to exceed $5,000 per household, for adult fire survivors living in the impacted fire zones in Lahaina and Kula. It was made possible by the many generous donations from local kamaʻāina, mainland friends, and people from around the world.  

Starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow, a shower trailer with one shower stall and one washer and dryer will be available for public use in the parking lot of Anytime Fitness at 24 Kiopaa St. in Makawao.

The state Department of Education has set a tentative goal of welcoming students back to the three West Maui campuses after fall break in mid-October.

With more than 9,000 members on Maui, AlohaCare has coordinated with client DHS Med-QUEST, other Medicaid health plans, providers and Maui staff to ease the hardship and create flexible options for affected members.