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LAHAINA, Hawaiʻi (KITV) — Three years after the deadly Lahaina wildfires, residents remain on a path to recovery bolstered by community support to help them rebuild.
The Maui County Council announced on Friday that a memorial service organized by Kuhinia Maui will be held on Saturday at the Lahaina United Methodist Church to honor the 102 lives lost on Aug. 8, 2023. The memorial will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be led by the Lahaina and Kula communities with the county’s support.
According to Maui County Council Chair Alice L. Lee, the council approved the budget this year for fiscal year 2027 towards support for recovery. The budget is divvied up amongst:
$6 million to Lahaina Community Land Trust to help keep homes in community hands
$3 million for Upcountry Maui wildfire rebuild, recovery and mitigation
$1 million to Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery
“We know the losses inflicted by the fires are something people continue to deal with every day,” Lee said. “They have our unwavering support in navigating a path to recovery.”
577 single-family and multifamily units have been completed as of last week, and those homes passed final inspection, according to the county’s recovery dashboard. Construction will begin for 667 more homes after the permits have been issued.
“We aspire toward a recovery that restores hope for people who have suffered extraordinary heartbreak,” Lee said. “I’m proud of the council’s financial investments in recovery, but they are pale in comparison to our community’s emotional and spiritual investments in recovery.”
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) shared its outreaching efforts to support long term community health:
Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center’s behavioral health staff continues to help residents, including those who are accessing services for the first time nearly three years after the fires.
DOH’s Maui Behavioral Health Wildfire Response has accomplished the following:
Provided 86,903 sessions of support, therapy and holistic services to date
Facilitated 436 training sessions for 8,323 participants
Held health fairs, wellness events, socialization opportunities and therapeutic programs that served over 2,400 individuals
DOH’s Adult Mental Health Division opened two Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics on Maui in late 2023. The expanded clinics serve Kahului, Lahaina and surrounding communities.
“Healing does not happen on a set timeline,” said Dr. Courtenay Matsu, deputy director of Behavioral Health. “Three years later, people in the Lahaina community continue to experience the effects of displacement, loss and trauma in different ways. We remain committed to meeting people where they are and ensuring that behavioral health services and community-based supports are available to those who need them.”
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