News and Media: Disaster 4724

LAHAINA, Maui – Sacred Hearts School has stood as a cornerstone of Lahaina since its’ establishment in 1863. On Aug. 8, 2023, the K-12 school was destroyed in the Maui wildfires, while the Catholic church on site miraculously emerged unscathed. Thanks to a collaborative effort involving FEMA, school officials, and generous community members, a new temporary home was found, and a lease was signed for a property in Kāʻanapali, West Maui.

LAHAINA, Maui – Following the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023, debris removal cleanup has been one of the major challenges facing residents, business owners and government agencies during the recovery process. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) was mission assigned by FEMA to complete both residential and commercial debris clearing for this disaster.

LAHAINA, Maui– Every school day, on a hillside overlooking the West Maui coastline, King Kamehameha III Elementary welcomes hundreds of children to its campus. It’s a temporary replacement for their former waterfront school, which served Lahaina’s children for more than a century until wildfires destroyed the school and much of the historic town. Remarkably, the temporary school was built in a matter of months.

LAHAINA – Ane and Lafaele Folaumoeloa are ready to take the next step in a journey to recovery that began after the Lahaina wildfires destroyed their home and all their possessions. The couple and their three children – a boy, aged 11, a girl also 11, and their 5-year-old sister – are among the first survivors scheduled to move into FEMA’s Kilohana Group Housing site.

LAHAINA, Maui – The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened its new Kilohana temporary group housing site today, hosting a traditional blessing ceremony and welcoming the first wildfire survivors into its modular units.