Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
- Aug 15
- 4 min read

Maui Wildfires Situation Report #4

Highlights:

· The three remaining fires in Maui are:

o Lahaina Fire: 2,170 acres and is 85% contained. Multiple fire crews are assigned to monitor and address any flareups but there are no active threats.

o Upcountry Fire: 678 acres and is 60% contained. There are hot spots in gulches and other hard to reach places. During the daylight hours, air support was deployed to hit hot spots.

o Pulehu Fire: 2,000 acres and is 100% contained. Fire personnel are staying vigilant for any flare-ups but there are no active threats.

· As of August 13th, at 9pm HST there are now 96 confirmed fatalities.

· The American Red Cross reports that there are seven emergency shelters (6 on Maui and 1 on Oahu) with a population of 578 people. No media is permitted in these shelters.

· Hawaiian Public Schools Update:

o Schools will begin a phased reopening starting next week.

o Staff that are on administrative leave will continue to be paid.

o They are working on a reassignment and relocation strategy of affected staff.

o The King Kamehameha III Elementary School was damaged beyond repair.

· Project Camp is collaborating with the Maui YMCA and the Kama'aina Kids to provide a free day camp for children on Maui. Details are available here.

· The Maui Humane Society is preparing to receive and care for hundreds of animals injured or lost during evacuations. Information on lost and found animals is available here.

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o Maui Health clinicians and physicians are providing first-aid, wound care, health and wellness checks, pharmacy services and providing baby formula for all community members in need at two park locations.

o Kaiser Permanente (KP) is also providing medical services to KP members and non-members at three locations on the island. Details are available here.

o The Hawaiian Department of Health, Maui Community Health Center is offering crisis mental health services and expanding hours to those experiencing emotional or psychological distress.

· Infrastructure, Transportation and Power Restoration Updates:

o The unsafe water advisory remains in place for West Maui.

o 20 cellular towers remain offline.

o The Kapalua Airport will close nightly for safety reasons. The runway that was closed for cargo operations has been reopened for all traffic.

o As of 9:30am EST a total of 4,510 customers remains without power.

· State Response and Recovery Updates:

o The State Emergency Operations Centers remains fully activated.

o Hawaiian Electric and the Hawaiian Housing Finance and Development Corporation has launched a Fire Relief Housing Program. This program will assist Maui residents with available housing. Details on this program are available here.

o The Hawaiian Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster is supporting the recruitment of volunteers for their member organizations. Details are available here.

· Federal Response and Recovery Updates:

o Over 300 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees and more than 140 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team members have been deployed.

o 17 specialists from the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team have been deployed to Maui.

o Three additional Human Remains Detection K9 teams have been requested.

o On August 14th, FEMA activated the Transitional Sheltering Assistance and Critical Needs Assistance Program:

ü These programs provide relief to survivors by supplying shelter, or money to cover urgent needs like food, water, or medical supplies.

o The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service approved Hawaii’s request for impacted Child Nutrition Programs and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

o The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed the installation of mobile temporary power units to help restore power to some locations in West Maui.

o The U.S. Coast Guard is shifting its operations to minimizing maritime environmental impacts due to the wildfires.

Sources:

· FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, August 14th

· FEMA, Federal Agencies Continue Hawaii Response Efforts

· Maui Residents May be Eligible for Transitional Sheltering, Critical Needs

· FEMA Twitter Page

· National US&R Response System Facebook Page

· U.S. Coast Guard Hawaii Pacific Facebook Page

· Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Twitter Page

· Hawaii Public Schools Twitter Page

· Hawaii Department of Transportation Twitter Page

· Maui County Facebook and Twitter Pages