Hawaii Wildfires
Incident Period: Aug 8, 2023 - Sep 30, 2023
Declaration Date: Aug 10, 2023
Quick Links
- Recovery resources: State & Local | National
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- 24/7 counseling: Disaster Distress Helpline
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More About This Disaster
Now Closed: Period to Apply for Disaster Assistance
The last day for individuals and families to apply for assistance after this disaster has passed. You are no longer able to begin a new claim.
To check the status on a previously submitted claim, visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
I Was Told to Call the U.S. Small Business Administration
FEMA is not allowed to provide disaster assistance for certain losses covered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans. The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to individuals and households to help with disaster losses. FEMA works with the SBA to determine if you may qualify for Personal Property Assistance, Transportation Assistance, or a Group Flood Insurance Policy.
FEMA will automatically refer you to the SBA to be considered for a disaster loan if you meet SBA’s income standards. FEMA uses your household annual gross income and number of dependents to determine if you should be referred to the SBA.
If you are referred to the SBA, FEMA will contact you via an auto-dialer system to explain how to apply for a disaster loan. You must complete and return a loan application to be considered for an SBA loan or certain types of FEMA assistance. You do not have to accept an SBA loan offer. However, if you are approved for an SBA loan, and you do not accept it, you will not be referred back to FEMA for personal property or transportation assistance.
For more information about the SBA disaster loan program, please call the SBA at 800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339). SBA information is also available at www.SBA.gov/disaster or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Learn more about SBA loans
I Applied for Assistance. What's Next?
If You Have Insurance
Please contact your insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim. FEMA can only provide money after you get your insurance settlement. If your insurance doesn’t cover all of your home repair or rebuilding expenses, FEMA may be able to help.
FEMA can’t provide money for expenses covered by insurance or duplicate benefits from another source. When you get your insurance settlement or denial, please send a copy to FEMA as soon as you can.
If your insurance settlement is delayed more than 30 days from the time you file your claim, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
Learn more about the steps after applying
If You Do Not Have Insurance
FEMA will verify your disaster-caused losses. The agency will schedule a time to inspect your home if you reported damage to your home or personal property. Or FEMA will ask you to send documents to verify your expenses.
You will receive notification letters from FEMA either by mail or electronic correspondence explaining your next steps. If necessary based on the losses you reported, an inspector will contact you by phone to schedule an inspection. If you miss the call, they will leave a voicemail message and make multiple attempts to reach you. The inspector should not need to view repair receipts or pictures of the damage. But if you begin cleaning up before the inspection, FEMA suggests you take pictures, make a list of your losses, and keep receipts for all of your disaster-caused expenses.
Transitional Sheltering
FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance has been activated for survivors allowing for short-term, emergency sheltering options in participating hotels.
In order to receive sheltering assistance, start by applying for assistance. You must have a FEMA registration ID and approval from FEMA to participate. If FEMA has reached out to you about sheltering assistance, you can look up participating hotels.
Find a Housing Counselor
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides support to a nationwide network of housing counseling agencies (HCAs) and certified counselors. HUD-participating HCAs are approved and trained to provide tools to current and prospective homeowners and renters so they can make responsible choices to address their housing needs in light of their financial situations.
Verifying Home Ownership or Occupancy
FEMA is required to verify you lived at the address in your application as your primary residence before providing most types of assistance. FEMA is also required to verify you owned your home before providing home repair or home replacement assistance. Learn more about this process.
As part of our effort to make the disaster assistance process quicker and reduce the burden on applicants, we try to verify occupancy and ownership by using an automated public records search.
If we cannot verify you lived in or owned the home that you listed on your application, we will ask you to provide documents to prove occupancy and/or ownership to help us determine if you are approved for assistance.
How Do I Appeal the Decision?
If you receive a letter stating that you are not approved for assistance or that your application is incomplete, you can still complete the application or appeal the decision within 60 days of receiving a decision letter. The letter would either be mailed to you or placed into your Disaster Assistance Center account, if you have set up an account.
Learn more about appeals
Frequently Asked Questions and Rumors
Learn more about common disaster-related rumors and how to report fraud. You can also get answers to frequently asked questions about emergency shelters, disaster assistance, flood insurance and more.
Multilingual Resources
You can find social media graphics with important safety messaging in various languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.
We also have videos in American Sign Language (ASL) on topics including:
How to Help
Volunteer and Donate
Recovery can take many years after a disaster. There are many ways to help such as donating cash, needed items or your time. Learn more about how to help those in need.
Don’t self-deploy to disaster areas. Trusted organizations in the affected areas know where volunteers are needed. Work with an established organization to make sure you have the appropriate safety, training and skills needed to respond.
FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) support the significant contributions of voluntary, faith-based, and community stakeholders active in disaster by building relationships – and coordinating efforts – with and across partner organizations and government agencies.
Doing Business with FEMA
If you are interested in providing paid services and goods for disaster relief, visit our Doing Business with FEMA page to get started.
If you own a business involved with debris removal and want to work on clean-up efforts in affected areas, please contact the local government in affected areas to offer your services.
Local Resources
Local Information
Local News & Media
Visit the News & Media page for events, fact sheets, press releases and other multimedia resources.
Owners of Short-Term Rental Properties Wanted
- Owners of Short-Term Rental Properties: Rental Properties Wanted
- Owners of Short-Term Rental Properties Invited to FEMA’s Direct Lease Industry Day Event
- DR-4724-HI Owner of Short-Term Rental Properties Rental Properties Wanted Graphic
- Frequently Asked Questions About FEMA's Direct Lease Program
Hawaii (DR-4724-HI): Rumor Control and Frequently Asked Questions
Help keep yourself, your family and your community safe after the Hawaii wildfires by being aware of rumors and scams and sharing official information from trusted sources.
Wildfire Response in Action
Visit FEMA's YouTube for videos in American Sign Language (ASL) on how to apply for disaster assistance.
Help share important information in various languages including English, Hawaiian, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Tagalog.
Disaster Registration Flyer | Live Announcer Scripts | Disaster Multimedia Toolkit | Hawaii Wildfires 2023: Partners' Toolkit
View the latest images of FEMA and the federal response in our Hawaii Fires 2023 media collection.
- B-Roll of Hawaii Wildfire | DVIDShub.net
- Federal Emergency Management Agency | DVIDShub.net
- FEMA Videos in American Sign Language - FEMA Accessible | YouTube.com
Soiltac Application on Maui
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is applying Soiltac, a soil stabilizer, to the ash and debris footprints of burned buildings and vehicles to minimize dust generated when people return to their properties. The application of this stabilizer to ash and debris also minimizes the movement of ash and debris – and potential contaminants of concern – through the air and into local waterways and occupied properties.
For questions about EPA support for Maui wildfire response, call our hotline (808) 539-0555 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. HT daily or email R9WildfiresInfo@epa.gov.
Additional Resources
- Find out more about EPA Soiltac application and other information at: epa.gov/maui-wildfires.
- Please Allow 24 Hours Before Entry After Soil Stabilizer Treatments News Release
- For more about EPA: www.epa.gov
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resources
The Hawaii Wildfire Response USACE page
The Honolulu District USACE Facebook page and social media outreach for Hawaii Wildfires
Department of Defense media site for Honolulu District USACE, which includes b-roll, articles, videos and pictures.
Maui Recovers Website
An official County of Maui website, www.MauiRecovers.org, is providing vital information and assistance, including re-entry data, to those affected by the fires. The website includes:
- Re-entry Information: Guidance on safe re-entry to affected areas, outlining essential safety measures for those returning to their properties.
- Water and Wastewater Updates: Regular updates on the status of water and wastewater services in impacted areas.
- Maps and Data: Interactive maps and data resources to facilitate navigation of impacted areas during the recovery process.
- Fire Debris Removal: Updates on the removal of hazardous materials from areas affected by the fires.
- Financial and Housing Assistance: Detailed information on available financial and housing assistance programs to support recovery.
- Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to common questions related to the recovery efforts.
Individuals can also subscribe to receive real-time updates tailored to assist those impacted by the fires.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
For more information on how to apply for DUA visit the State of Hawaii Unemployment Insurance webpage.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING DUA APPLICATION EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 26, 2023
The State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) is accepting applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The deadline for submitting a DUA application has been extended to October 26, 2023. Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered untimely and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause for late filing.
HOW AND WHERE TO APPLY: Individuals may apply for DUA online through huiclaims.hawaii.gov/#/ or in person.
Learn More: English | More Languages
Stay Safe
- Residents and tourists should closely monitor and follow instructions from local officials.
- For information on what to do before, during and after a wildfire, visit Ready.gov.
- For state and local safety information and updates, visit hawaii.gov.
Locate Family or Loved Ones
If you are trying to locate family or loved ones, call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and select Option 4, then follow the voice prompts for "Hawaii Wildfires". The Maui County Emergency Management Agency set up a Family Assistance Center at the Kahului Community Center to help families locate missing loved ones.
Visit @Maui_EMA's Family Assistance Center at the Kahului Community Center to get help locating missing loved ones.
Hawaii Volunteer Organizations
Local and national Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) are coordinating to identify resources for unmet needs and provide emergency assistance to survivors. Those seeking to donate to the recovery efforts, can do so by visiting hawaiistatevoad.org.
How to Help
Volunteer and Donate
Recovery can take many years after a disaster. There are many ways to help such as donating cash, needed items or your time. Learn more about how to help those in need.
Don’t self-deploy to disaster areas. Trusted organizations in the affected areas know where volunteers are needed. Work with an established organization to make sure you have the appropriate safety, training and skills needed to respond.
FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) build relationships and coordinate efforts with voluntary, faith-based and community organizations active in disasters.
Doing Business with FEMA
If you are interested in providing paid services and goods for disaster relief, visit our Doing Business with FEMA page to get started.
If you own a business involved with debris removal and want to work on clean-up efforts in affected areas, please contact the local government in affected areas to offer your services.
Funding Obligations
| Individual Assistance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Housing Assistance (HA) - Dollars Approved | $41,374,813.90 |
| Total Other Needs Assistance (ONA) - Dollars Approved | $22,411,608.67 |
| Total Individual & Households Program Dollars Approved | $63,786,422.57 |
| Individual Assistance Applications Approved | 7152 |
| Public Assistance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Emergency Work (Categories A-B) - Dollars Obligated | $389,958,620.37 |
| Permanent Work (Categories C-G) - Dollars Obligated | $107,900,711.54 |
| Total Public Assistance Grants Dollars Obligated | $506,136,817.77 |