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On September 19, 2023, Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr. established the County of Maui Office of Recovery to coordinate efforts following the August 2023 wildfires. Join us as we navigate the path to recovery, ensuring a brighter future for our island community.
This office collaborates closely with government entities and the community to facilitate comprehensive recovery initiatives. Working tirelessly across sectors such as housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization, and more, we are committed to rebuilding and revitalizing Maui.
If you're interested in learning more, see below.
At the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Meeting on Wed., March 13, EPA announced it has completed its inspection of nearly 90,000 feet of sewer lines. EPA, County and Hawai'i State Dept. of Health also are taking drinking water samples from water mains (including fire hydrants) and service laterals at the meter connections.
The vast majority of residents prefer to remain in West Maui for interim housing due to employment, family support, children’s school, limited transportation, and established health and care support.
Updates from the County of Maui Office of Recovery; partnerships; public assistance timeline; infrastructure roadmap; Maui Emergency Management Agency access control; debris removal; housing updates and funding sources.
Following the devastating wildfires that destroyed over 2,000 structures on Maui in August 2023, a comprehensive Recovery Needs Assessment has been conducted through the collaborative efforts of county, state, and federal partners. This assessment lays the foundation for critical recovery initiatives required for the community's long-term resurgence.
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In response to the Maui wildfires, the Maui County Recovery Framework serves as a structured plan for organized recovery. This framework represents the County's dedication to reconstructing infrastructure, restoring community vitality, revitalizing the economy, and ensuring the well-being of its residents.
Sections of the Latest Maui Recovery Framework are below. If you want to view the entire document for the Maui Recovery Framework, click on the link below.
The Recovery Framework operates under seven guiding principles:
Providing guidance to recovery operations is the Mayor's Advisory Council, which provides a crucial bridge between community voices and the Mayor’s office.
The Office of Recovery plays a pivotal role as the epicenter of all recovery operations. From overarching strategy formulation by the Recovery Manager to sector-specific initiatives through the Recovery Support Functions (RSFs), this office embodies the County's dedicated commitment to holistic recovery.
The Executive Recovery Committee acts as the linchpin, binding local intent with state, federal, and private sector capabilities.
Office of Recovery Staff: Efficient recovery hinges on robust administrative processes, proper information management, and documentation. Be it financial management, data analytics, or logistical support, the administrative teams ensure that recovery operations are streamlined, transparent, and effective.
Communication and Community Engagement: Open dialogue and community involvement lie at the heart of this framework. Through communication mechanisms and feedback channels, Maui County ensures that recovery is not a passive process for its residents but an active collaboration.
Recovery Process: Recovery is a cycle of analyzing impacts, identifying needs, crafting strategies, and implementing them. This cyclical approach ensures adaptability, allowing the recovery process to evolve with changing circumstances and new insights.
Recovery Support Functions (RSFs): These sector-specific units are the operational arms of the recovery process. From community planning to preserving natural & cultural resources, RSFs ensure that every facet of Maui's recovery receives the dedicated attention and expertise it deserves.
Coordination and Collaboration: By fostering intra-county coordination, engaging with external governmental bodies, and harnessing the strength of non-governmental organizations, the framework ensures a cohesive and holistic recovery approach.
In essence, the Maui County Recovery Framework is a testament to the County's resilience and determination. It captures a vision of a community that not only bounces back from adversity but rises stronger, more unified, and prepared for the future.
With more than 2,000 properties damaged or destroyed as a result of the August 2023 wildfires, extraordinary efforts are required to assist impacted property owners in rebuilding their home and businesses in Lahaina and Upcountry. The County of Maui understands there are many questions and concerns about what comes next.
To that end, the County is proactively evaluating its development and permitting policies to find opportunities to streamline and accelerate permit processing for previously developed and damaged properties affected by the wildfires. We are also assessing strategies for contracting outside services to support permit review and processing.
The County is committed to providing a thorough and expeditious rebuilding process and will share more information on this effort as it becomes available.
The organizational structure represents the foundation upon which the Maui County Recovery Framework stands. It is designed to streamline decision-making, foster collaboration, and ensure that every voice is heard. Clear roles and responsibilities allow for efficient resource allocation and avoid overlapping duties.
The Maui County's Office of Recovery stands as a centralized hub orchestrating and overseeing recovery operations. It's positioned not just to facilitate physical reconstruction, but also to revitalize the community, ensuring that the socio-economic fabric is restored, and strengthened.
Figure1 1 Office of Recovery Organizational Structure
Role: The Mayor's Advisory Council serves as an interface between the community and the mayor’s office in the aftermath of the disaster. It acts as a channel through which concerns, suggestions, and feedback from the community members are conveyed directly to the county leadership.
Significance: The council plays a pivotal role in ensuring that recovery efforts are grounded in the realities and priorities of the affected community. By providing an avenue for key community leaders to provide direct input, the council ensures that recovery strategies align with the needs and desires of those most affected.
Members: The council comprises a diverse group of stakeholders, including:
The Executive Recovery Committee acts as the linchpin, binding local intent with state, federal, and private sector capabilities. Through cohesive efforts, they ensure that Maui County's recovery journey is well-guided, well-resourced, and ultimately successful.
The Executive Recovery Committee may include representatives such as those from federal and state disaster recovery coordination, local emergency management leadership, philanthropic recovery leadership, and other senior leaders from relevant external entities. This committee plays a crucial role in guiding and consolidating the recovery efforts. The members contribute a wide-ranging perspective, integrating local insights and the capabilities of nonprofit, state, and federal entities, to ensure that the county’s recovery is both prompt and enduring.
Responsibilities: The primary mandates of the Executive Committee are:
The Maui County's Office of Recovery stands as a centralized hub orchestrating and overseeing
recovery operations. It's positioned not just to facilitate physical reconstruction, but also to revitalize
the community, ensuring that the socio-economic fabric is restored, and strengthened.
Role: The Recovery Manager is the top executive responsible for the overall direction, strategy, and
efficacy of the recovery efforts.
Role: Directly supporting the Recovery Manager, the Assistant Recovery Manager plays a critical role
in operationalizing strategies and ensuring their effective execution.
Role: Recovery Support Functions are specialized teams focusing on specific areas of recovery.
Administrative support is essential to ensure a robust recovery effort. The processes, tasks, and responsibilities that fall under administration ensure that efforts are organized, coordinated, efficient, and transparent. With the right support, recovery can progress smoothly, ensuring that resources are utilized effectively, and goals are achieved in a timely manner.
Performance Dashboards & Progress Reports: real-time tracking dashboard and regularly published documents detailing the achievements, challenges, and upcoming activities, providing transparency and accountability to stakeholders and the community.
To address specific challenges, nuances, or areas of focus during the recovery process, the Recovery Manager holds the authority to establish Specialized Task Forces. These task forces will be instrumental in streamlining efforts, harnessing expertise, and ensuring a targeted approach to various recovery aspects.
Specialized Task Forces are formed when there's a recognized need to delve deeper into specific issues, challenges, or areas that require concentrated attention. Their composition is designed to bring together subject-matter experts, community representatives, and relevant stakeholders to collaboratively address these niche areas.
The duration of each Specialized Task Force will largely depend on the nature of the challenge they're addressing. Once their objectives are met, and their recommendations have been implemented and assessed, the Recovery Manager can choose to dissolve the task force.
While Specialized Task Forces operate with a specific focus, their work is interconnected with broader recovery efforts. They will maintain close collaboration with RSFs to ensure alignment in goals, resources, and strategies. This synergistic approach ensures that while the task force dives deep into issues, the overall recovery blueprint remains cohesive and unified.
The introduction of Specialized Task Forces under the discretion of the Recovery Manager adds a layer of agility and expertise to the recovery framework, ensuring that no challenge is too niche or complex to be effectively addressed.
At the heart of an effective recovery process lies transparent communication and genuine community engagement. By fostering open dialogues, Maui County ensures that its recovery strategies are in tune with the community's needs, values, and aspirations. A community that is informed and engaged is more resilient, cooperative, and supportive of recovery efforts.
The Communications and Public Information Team has the primary responsibility for providing information to the public on Recovery. It is the responsibility of those serving on the communications teams to develop a comprehensive public information plan and execute that plan.
Solicitation of community feedback will be a shared responsibility of members of the Office of Recovery. The Communications and Public Information Team and the Community Planning RSF will work collaboratively to lead community input processes. The Administrative Support Team will support efforts to document and disseminate outcomes of community feedback processes for incorporation into RSF activities. All recovery support functions will participate in the public input process based on the scope and needs determined by the Community Planning RSF.
Online platforms or mobile apps where residents can submit their feedback, suggestions, or concerns related to recovery efforts.
Periodic digital and physical surveys distributed among residents to gauge their satisfaction with recovery efforts, gather their insights, and understand their evolving needs.
Engaging diverse groups of residents in detailed discussions about specific aspects of the recovery. This could include groups centered around business owners, parents, the elderly, or representatives from various neighborhoods.
Designated segments during town hall meetings or separate sessions where residents can provide feedback on proposed recovery strategies or projects.
Committees dedicated to regularly reviewing the feedback collected, identifying patterns or common issues, and translating them into actionable insights.
Ensuring that feedback received directly informs the refinement of recovery strategies. For example, if a significant number of residents raise concerns about a specific housing project, the strategy would be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.
Providing updates back to the community about how their feedback was used, ensuring they feel heard and valued. This could be done through the Public Information Hub or during town hall meetings.
This PPT compiles testimonies solicited at Maui County Council meetings after the Lahaina Town Fire. FEMA analysts meticulously reviewed 165 testimonies from nine meetings, distilling them into thematic elements crucial for future recovery planning. This synthesized information serves as a valuable resource for informed decision-making and strategic initiatives post-disaster.
On January 30, 2024, the County of Maui Office of Recovery presented findings from a survey aimed at gathering crucial feedback from Kula residents and the wider community. The primary goal was to assess the priority needs within the Kula community, particularly among those directly or indirectly affected by the Upcountry wildfires in August 2023. Click on the image on the right to view these key findings.
