The online community survey launched by County of Maui Office of Recovery to help shape the creation of the Lahaina Recovery Plan is now available in Hawaiian, Ilocano, Spanish, Tagalog and Tongan. The survey will be available until May 19, 2024, and can be found on Maui Recovers’ “Ola Lahaina” page at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. Click on the box on the top right to select the preferred language for the survey.

The Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry is expanding service with three round trips per day, seven days a week, starting the week of June 3, 2024. The expanded service is aimed at meeting passenger demand.

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least July 2, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation.

Hawaiʻi Community Lending announces a new Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program. This three-year program will assist up to 500 owner-occupant Lahaina homeowners prevent foreclosure and qualify for financing to rebuild their homes.

The meeting will feature an update on Lahaina Harbor from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, an update on debris clearing from the US Army Corps of Engineers and information on the status of drinking water sampling from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Last year, over 56,000 wildfires burned 2.6 million acres, destroying over 4,300 home and commercial structures across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. None were as catastrophic as the Lahaina wildfire on Aug. 8, 2023, which included over 2,300 residences destroyed on Maui.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery and Department of Planning will hold a neighborhood planning workshop for Wahikuli residents to share their thoughts on topics specific to the area with county staff from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lahainaluna High School Cafeteria.

Since the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires, nearly 2,000 individuals are still being housed in hotels on Maui. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that currently, 1,969 survivors are sheltered in nine hotels and other sites. The agency provided an update on housing, spending and resources as wildfire recovery nears the nine month mark.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery is urging wildfire property owners who opt for the Alternative Debris Removal Program to stay informed by signing up online for important notices.

The federal disaster center at the Lahaina Civic Center is moving to Hyatt Regency, and a state resource center will open at Royal Lahaina Resort in the coming days.

Officials from US Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Health and other agencies will discuss the status of debris clearing, how trees in the burn zone are determined to be hazardous and testing for shoreline water quality during this week’s meeting.

The County’s new Recovery Permitting Center is slated to open April 29, 2024, in Kahului, and a satellite location is in the works for Lahaina, the County of Maui announced Saturday.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management is partnering with nonprofit Mālama Maui Nui to provide a White Goods Appliance Collection pick-up and drop-off event for Lahaina residents directly impacted by the August 2023 fires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency continues to collaborate with Maui County and the State of Hawaiʻi about transitional housing and determining immediate and anticipated needs of families who were displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfires. FEMA encourages families to continue to show regular progress toward their permanent housing plan in order to continue staying in FEMA housing.

The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation and American Express have opened the Maui Small Business Recovery Grant Program, which supports Maui-based small businesses impacted by the devastating wildfires of August 2023.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery and Department of Planning will hold a neighborhood workshop for Kelawea Mauka residents from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Lahainaluna High School Cafeteria, 980 Lahainaluna Road.  

Since wildfires swept over the Island of Maui Aug. 8, more than $347.8 million in federal assistance has been approved for 7,090 households.

Under the Individuals and Households Program, eligible individuals who submit the necessary documentation may receive rental assistance for an additional three months or possibly longer, if needed.

The Internal Revenue Service reminds the public that it has postponed until Aug. 7, 2024, various tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines for individuals and businesses affected by the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires. Previously, the deadline was Feb. 15, 2024.

The community is invited to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Lahaina Civic Center to hear a status report on air quality and leachate monitoring at the Temporary Debris Storage site at Olowalu.