Fire Survivor Resources

The Federal Communications Commission has temporarily waived certain eligibility rules to ensure that people receiving federal disaster assistance due to the Maui fires can easily apply for and enroll in Lifeline, a federal program that helps lower the cost of phone and internet service for those in need.

Maui Wildfire Disaster updates for Aug. 27 are posted HERE. To date, 11,010 FEMA assistance registrations have been received, with some $14.6 million in federal housing and individual assistance provided.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced a partnership with the US Department of Labor and the US Postal Service to offer unemployment insurance claimants the ability to provide the identity proofing required to continue or initiate a claim for unemployment insurance benefits through two new sources – Login.gov and USPS in person proofing.

FEMA Individual Assistance is available to renters, including students, as well as homeowners. Federal grants can help pay for temporary housing. The initial rental grant is for a one-month or two-month period and can be reviewed for additional assistance. 

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.

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.

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.

A Disaster Recovery Center will open Friday, Aug. 25, in Upcountry Maui to accommodate residents affected by the wildfires learn about local, state and federal assistance programs.

“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. 

Legal assistance for those impacted by the Maui wildfires on specific issues ranging from immigration to insurance claims will be offered by attorneys in private practice and a University of Hawaiʻi Law Clinic program from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 9, at Maui Economic Opportunity in Wailuku.

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. 

Maui Wildfire Disaster updates for Aug. 24 are posted HERE. Today, crews are conducting an underwater search of a four mile stretch of shoreline from Puamana Beach Park to Wahikuli Wayside Park, looking for human remains associated with the Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina. Six more people have been identified out of the 115 confirmed dead; and more than 1,000 remain unaccounted for. The state Department of Education has identified temporary school sites in Central and South Maui for displaced students who had been enrolled at one of four public schools in Lahaina.

Students already re-enrolled at other schools or in distance learning are unaffected. Family and community meeting scheduled for Aug. 30.

The Family Assistance Center has received reports about Maui community members receiving calls from individuals or organizations claiming to be with “DNA Services.” These telephone calls are scams, and anyone receiving them should hang up immediately and report them to the Maui Police Department’s non-emergency number at 808-244-6400.

Activated from the first moments of the Maui fires on Aug. 8, 2023, The Salvation Army prepared 26,284 meals and coordinated a total of 153,997 through local and nonprofit partnerships at 34 feeding locations during the initial phase of the relief effort, though feeding sites are now transitioning to non-congregate shelters at local hotels.