Hawaii Governor Josh Green, M.D., has announced a critical milestone in the Lāhainā wildfire response, with Tuesday’s closing of the last American Red Cross shelter temporarily housing the survivors of the deadly wildfires on Maui.
On Tuesday, August 22, the last of the sheltered wildfire survivors staying in the American Red Cross shelter at South Maui Community Park Gymnasium in Kīhei, regaining privacy as they were transitioned to longer-term housing.
Since August 16, the American Red Cross, Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relocated nearly 3,000 survivors of the Maui wildfires from congregate shelters to contracted hotels. In total, more than a dozen hotels and timeshare properties are currently housing more than 4,400 shelter survivors and hotel employee survivors, while some 900 people are booked in Airbnb units. These accommodations will continue to provide meals, casework services, financial recovery resources and other disaster relief assistance.
“We want to thank our partners at the American Red Cross, FEMA, the hotel industry and Airbnb, for stepping up during this unprecedented tragedy,” said Governor Green. “Only together can we rise up, recover and bring healing to the Lāhainā community.”
“I would also like to express my gratitude to the West Maui properties who are housing hundreds of their team members and their families. These hotels and timeshares have generously opened up their properties without hesitation. I especially want to thank the Royal Lāhainā Resort for being the first hotel to step up to the plate and offer housing for those displaced from the wildfires,” said Governor Green.
Expedient work was key in this success, said American Red Cross Director of Disaster Relief Operations for the Hawai‘i Wildfires, Dave Gutierrez. “The ability to get people into a comfortable, safe, and sanitary lodging solution this quickly was only possible because of the collaboration and unified efforts of our partners. Responding to disaster is a team effort. No single agency can do it alone and we are honored to be part of the whole community response to support the people of Maui through this tragedy,” he said.
“This team effort to help Maui’s kama‘āina get out of group shelters and into stable and more private housing was executed with tremendous speed,” said Administrator James Barros of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency. “We hope restoring some stability will help the community heal.”
This temporary solution will help residents who cannot return to their homes while long-term housing plans are developed in collaboration with Maui County and its people.
The state, American Red Cross and FEMA selected hotels and Airbnb units in West Maui to preserve continuity in the survivors’ lives and to keep them close to their community.
The American Red Cross is operating the housing under a contract with the State of Hawai‘i, funded through FEMA’s non-congregate sheltering program. The contract also covers wrap-around services for survivors of the disaster.
