Maui Wildfires Situation Report #6

Highlights:

· There remain two fires being monitored on Maui, they are:

o Upcountry Fire: 678 acres and is 75% contained.

o Lahaina Fire: 2,170 acres and is 85% contained.

· There are now 110 fatalities and 38% of the affected areas have been searched for additional victims.

· A total of eight emergency shelters are open (7 on Maui and 1 on Oahu) with a population of 325 people.

· The Hawaii Red Cross as of August 16th has provided 28,600 meals and snacks.

· Maui County has established a Housing Task Force to address short and long-term housing needs.

· The State of Hawaii has secured more than 400 hotel rooms and 1,400 units from Airbnb for affected residents.

· The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has stated that there is limited space on Maui to store donated items. They ask that financial donations are preferred.

· Infrastructure, Power Restoration and Transportation Updates:

o 11 cellular towers remain offline.

o A total of 2,000 customers are without power in the affected area. Hawaiian Electric is also working on installing a second mobile substation to support restoration for the Launiuopoko to Olowalu areas.

o Hawaiian Electric has deployed more than 400 employees and contractors.

o More than 100 utility poles are needed for restoration work.

o The Lahaina Bypass Road has been reopened. The Hawaii Department of Transportation has begun installing dust screens. These screens will reduce the spread of potentially hazardous materials across the roadways.

o Hawaiian Airlines has issued a travel waiver to those traveling to and/or from Kahului, Maui. Details are available here.

· Federal Response and Recovery Updates:

o The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has deployed 420 employees.

o FEMA has approved more than $2.3 million in assistance to 1,331 households, including more than $798,000 in initial rental assistance.

o The President has authorized the Federal cost share for Public Assistance grants to be increased from 75% to 100% for 30 days within the first 120 days of the State’s choosing.

o The U.S. Coast Guard has reduced the size of the Safety Zone. Access is authorized on a case-by-case basis.

o The U.S. Small Business Administration has deployed more than 30 personnel.

o The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration insured mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages.

o Additional Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Forces and Mission Ready Packages have been deployed; this includes:

ü Four Type 1 USAR task forces

ü One Type 3 USAR task force

ü 35 Canine Search Teams

Sources:

· FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, August 16th

· FEMA, Federal Partners Continue to Provide Critical Aid to Hawaii Wildfire Response and Recovery Efforts

· FEMA Twitter Page

· FEMA Administrator Twitter Page

· National US&R Response System Facebook Page

· Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Twitter Page

· Hawaii Department of Transportation Twitter Page