Maui asks state for more funding and policy help to speed Lahaina recovery, housing and infrastructure

Aloha and thanks to the chairs and members of the joint committee. Maui County told the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Finance that its top 2025 priorities are completing Lahaina wildfire recovery, accelerating affordable housing construction and funding key infrastructure projects.

"Rebuilding Lahaina means more than restoring structures," the county's mayor said, saying recovery work has emphasized returning people to homes and centering community input. The county described large-scale debris removal and continuing utility and housing work as urgent prerequisites to rebuilding.

The county said the 2023 wildfires killed 102 residents, left two unaccounted for, displaced about 12,000 people, scorched about 6,600 acres and affected roughly 22,100 structures. County officials said they removed about 400,000 tons of charred debris — an amount they estimated would have required about 40,000 truckloads — and established a temporary disposal site and a permanent disposal site 26 miles away. County officials said 100% of residential lots eligible for clearance (1,390 properties) have been cleared and that 99% of commercial debris has been removed from 146 properties, with two commercial properties remaining.

Maui officials reported repairs and service restoration milestones: county partners and EPA fully restored water service in August 2024, sewer restoration in Lahaina stands at about 67% with the county projecting full restoration by next month, and an expedited permitting system has issued 206 building permits with 347 in review. The county said more than 150 single-family homes are under construction and that the first multifamily phase is open; 200-unit multifamily and other multifamily projects are under construction or funded.

To continue recovery and to support long-term housing goals, Maui County asked the state to: support eligibility and use of federal disaster recovery dollars (Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery, CDBG‑DR), back the county’s requests for Department of Land and Natural Resources capital improvement project funding to reopen Lahaina Harbor, and help with other infrastructure. The county said Congress allocated roughly $1.6 billion in disaster relief to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support Maui recovery; the county also cited more than $15 million in federal funding for recycled wastewater projects and over $15 million for the West Maui Greenway.

County officials identified a specific state capital ask for the Waiale Road Extension, an $87 million project for which the county said it has roughly $27–28 million in federal grants and is requesting $20,000,000 in additional state support to open up significant housing capacity in central Maui. The county said the Waiale project includes roadway work and a bridge crossing and that separate water and wastewater improvements are planned and will be funded through general excise tax revenues and other sources.

Maui officials also emphasized community engagement: the county said 3,833 Lahaina residents participated in planning activities and that it held 44 committee meetings in Lahaina and Kula during its recovery effort. County staff said many recovery recommendations from after-action reports have been implemented or are underway: the county cited roughly 75% of police recommendations and 55% of fire recommendations as implemented or in progress.

The county asked continued state help to ensure federal and state funds work in parallel with the county’s long-term recovery plans and said it will press for legislation to expedite rebuilding in disaster areas and simplify pathways to build affordable housing.

Maui County identified the Office of Recovery and a Lahaina long-term recovery plan as central coordination tools for recovery and stressed that rebuilding priorities include housing, infrastructure, water and cultural-site restoration.