Maui Wildfire Update – September 1 as of 11 a.m.

Aloha,

Here are the latest Maui wildfire news, updates, and resources you need to know.

The number of unaccounted individuals is expected to drop below 100.

Gov. Green said the number of people listed as missing from Maui’s devastating wildfire could drop from nearly 400 to fewer than 100 when authorities provide an update today.

Fire Safety Research Institute will lead a 12-month examination of the state and county’s response to the fires.

The State Attorney General selected the Fire Safety Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, as the third party to handle the state’s investigation.
The attorney general said, “The purpose of this is to make sure this never happens again, period. We need to know what happened. We need to know what functioned well, what didn’t, so we can make recommendations for how the state and county should proceed going into the future.”
A second congressional probe launched by the House Energy and Commerce Committee will investigate Hawaiian Electric's role in the Maui wildfires.

Residents grapple with grief, overwhelming long-term consequences and recovery efforts.

First responders are concerned about the longer-term consequences of the community’s health and recovery, but assessing and mitigating the damage may take years.
Some areas under the unsafe water advisory could be cleared to use their tap water in a couple of weeks, but experts and history suggest it could take months or years before the worst of the damaged areas have safe water fully restored.
UHERO has recommended forming a special governance system with the authority to bypass typical policies and procedures to centralize the Maui recovery effort and allow the community to lead.
Memorials are starting for wildfire victims as survivors take stock of loved ones they lost and look for ways to heal.

In a video message, Mayor Bissen offered more details about the emergency response timeline to the wildfires.

Mayor Bissen said he was alerted by Maui Emergency Management Agency staff in the early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 8, of the Upcountry wildfire, and he reported to the Emergency Operating Center around 6:30 a.m., where he and members of his team remained until the following day.
He also shared, “The severe gravity of the impact was not clear in the initial hours as our firefighters and police on the ground placed all of their efforts and actions towards helping people in the areas.”
Next week, the County of Maui will launch a website with daily updates about how to reenter Lahaina.

A steep drop in tourism has devastated Maui’s economy.

Nearly a month after the fire, Maui is hosting fewer visitors than ever since the coronavirus pandemic. In South Maui, seven of every 10 hotel rooms sit empty, compared with about two in 10 during normal times.
“Some businesses have already closed here, and my biggest fear is that what we saw during the pandemic will repeat itself, and we’ll have qualified people leaving the island and going to the mainland,” Thomas Kafsack of The Surfing Goat Dairy said.
State data shows that more than 5,300 people on Maui filed initial unemployment claims roughly the first two weeks after the fire. In average weeks, the number of claims is closer to 120.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority on Thursday approved spending $2.6 million on a U.S. Marketing Maui Recovery Plan.

Mahalo nui loa,

Your BG Team

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