#lahaina wildfire recovery

Maui County will take ownership of the 167-unit Kīlohana modular housing project, now serving Lahaina wildfire survivors, in a move that could pave the way for the temporary homes to become permanent housing, County Council members learned Wednesday.

The Maui County Council unanimously passed a $1.6 billion fiscal year 2027 budget on first reading Friday, approving a contested shoreline stabilization grant after a lengthy discussion and splitting 5-4 on election-year spending limits on the mayor’s office.

The Maui County Council will take up a $1.6 billion budget Friday morning, following a committee recommendation to trim Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposal by reducing capital improvement projects while still increasing funding for day-to-day operations.

Hulihia has announced the third year of its Hulihia Maui Strong Fellowship Program, an initiative designed to engage Maui residents in addressing critical challenges for Maui’s long-term care and post-fire recovery.

Mayor Richard Bissen told state lawmakers Monday that his administration has shifted its focus from immediate wildfire recovery to housing delivery and large-scale infrastructure investments, forecasting the construction of approximately 3,000 affordable and workforce homes by 2030.

The meeting will include updates on wildfire recovery efforts from the County’s Office of Recovery and other departments and agencies.

The County of Maui’s monthly Lahaina Community Meeting, usually held in-person, will instead be held online at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, via Zoom.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery will host an additional community information session online from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, to present finalized policies for the upcoming Hoʻokumu Hou housing programs.

This summer, nine students from Maui High, King Kekaulike and Baldwin high schools participated in Mahi Pono’s paid summer internship program, where they propagated nearly 2,000 culturally significant plants for residents who lost their home gardens that included cherished lei plants during the 2023 wildfires.

Since November 2023, the DCMP has worked to help survivors navigate their recovery by connecting them with specially trained disaster case managers (DCMs) to help assess and address their needs through a disaster recovery plan, which includes resources, decision-making priorities, providing guidance and tools. To date, the DCMP has helped more than 6,600 survivors, providing more than 12,800 direct referrals to community resources and services worth more than $140 million.

As the second anniversary approaches of the wildfires that destroyed much of Maui’s beloved Lahaina town, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi is calling for more action from state and county leaders to improve what it describes as a sluggish rebuilding process.

The evening will feature a specially-curated, multi-course dinner, each dish paired with craft selections from Koholā Brewery, including the debut of a new collaboration beer created exclusively for the resort. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit Maui United Way in support of Lahaina wildfire recovery.

Victoria Moore, author of “Big Hearts on a Little Island: The Maui community’s heroic response to the 2023 wildfires,” will speak at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

The Hua Momona Foundation has announced the second annual Maui Music & Food Experience, taking place from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Kāʻanapali.

The report, titled “A Community-Led Pathway Toward Maui’s Economic Recovery and Future,” presents six pathways and 34 project ideas, which evolved into 11 priority projects.

After losing four buildings in the Lahaina wildfire, the residents of Kahoma Village will be hosting a community planting day to kick off the revitalization of their park space on Saturday, April 26.

The outdoor community classroom is now open seven days a week, offering free youth programs focused on ocean safety, environmental stewardship and cultural literacy.

HULI, Navajo Power and Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui partner to bring solar power to Lahaina recovery efforts.

The Asian Real Estate Association of America Foundation, or “AREAA Foundation,” has made another donation to aid families affected by the Lahaina wildfires.

In 2024, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) helped secure more than $6 billion in federal funding for Hawai‘i as he led efforts to deliver resources to support Maui’s recovery from last year’s fires and advance a range of other priorities for the state.