#disaster maui

Mayor Richard Bissen submitted to the County Council a bill to amend a section of the County Code in an effort to immediately increase the inventory of housing available to survivors of the August wildfires.

As the deadline to fund the federal government nears, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on colleagues in the US Senate and House of Representatives to pass the Senate’s bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open and avert a disastrous shutdown.

US Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman will join FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and US Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell on Maui today to visit communities impacted by the recent wildfires and meet with state and local officials regarding ongoing recovery efforts. She will also meet with local small business owners and highlight the SBA’s disaster recovery and resilience operation deployed to assist those affected.

Initial assessments put the Iao flood damage estimate at $15 million. About 20 families were directly impacted by the storm. The county and National Guard continue are working to clear an estimated 9,000 truckloads of debris.

Last year’s record-breaking hurricane season in Hawaii underscores the need for Maui County citizens to be better informed and better prepared.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program will offer training September through October Upcountry and in South Maui.

To update Maui County’s 2010 Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Maui Civil Defense Agency encourages all residents to participate in a survey to assess their level of disaster preparedness.

The Maui County Hazard Mitigation Planning Steering Committee invites all Maui County residents to help update the countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan. A community meeting will be conducted to introduce the planning process on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Kula Community Center.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa joins his other mayoral counterparts across the state today in launching a Disaster Public Awareness pilot campaign. The results of the pilot will be used to create a statewide campaign with custom communication strategies for each county.

The training includes basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. The upcoming Lahaina session will be held at the Princess Nahienaena Elementary School in March.