FEMA

What worked? What didn’t? U.S. lawmakers heard feedback from officials and community members about the federal response to the Maui wildfires. Looking to the future was a key theme of the hearing. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.

Hawaiʻi's congressional representatives say the nation’s disaster relief fund needs to be replenished so the U.S. government can continue to help survivors of Maui’s deadly wildfires and other disasters around the country. U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaiʻi called on Congress to appropriate $20.9 billion to the fund.

On the hillside above Lahaina, a community of nearly 500 modular homes is taking shape. The first nine ʻohana moved in last week. The housing will be used for fire survivors for the next five years, and then be turned over to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol has the latest on interim housing developments on Maui.

Some Kula residents are dealing with extensive road damages they say were caused by heavy equipment from the federal fire debris cleanup. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on the continued issues following the Aug. 8 wildfire.

Nā ʻAikāne O Maui is one step closer to rebuilding its Native Hawaiian cultural center after it was destroyed in the Lahaina wildfires.

The state has extended its hotel sheltering program for displaced Maui fire victims until June 30. About 180 Maui families who lost their homes in the fires last August are still living in hotels.

A report surveying more than 1,000 Oʻahu residents shows that only one in five have flood insurance. The findings come from a recent City and County of Honolulu report to understand flood risk awareness on the island.

A final extension has been announced for non-congregate sheltering, specifically for those still in hotels after being displaced by the Maui wildfires. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the details.

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency in February requested that FEMA extend the non-congregate sheltering program. FEMA agreed but said the costs for meals would no longer be reimbursable. That’s why the state will now only be offering dinner. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports.

For nearly 70 years, the Lahaina Library stood on Wharf Street until the Aug. 8 fires burned it down. Now, a FEMA grant will help rebuild it for the future. Library staff are working to find a temporary location in the meantime. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol shares the building's history and importance.