August 2023 wildfire information

The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency is supporting wildfire response and recovery efforts in Hawai‘i and Maui counties, including the extensive damage in Lahaina.

This page will be updated regularly to reflect new information.

Damage reporting and assessment

• If your property sustained structural damage or was destroyed, document the damage, ideally with photos, as soon as you are allowed to return to the site.
• Report the damage to your insurer.
• Report the damage to the County emergency management office for the island where the property is located (such as Maui Emergency Management Agency or Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency).
• In the event disaster assistance becomes available, HI-EMA and county governments will share information on eligibility and how to apply.

Supporting wildfire relief

Numerous community organizations are organizing relief efforts for those affected by the fires in Maui and Hawai‘i counties.

There may also be those who try to take advantage of the public’s goodwill and seek to defraud donors.

To ensure that relief actually assists those in need, the State of Hawaii offers the following recommendations:

• Financial donations to a trusted nonprofit organization are best.
  • They are easy and inexpensive to transport
  • They don’t take up warehouse space
  • Nonprofits can purchase exactly the items needed, and may be able to obtain them in bulk at a discount, stretching the donations to cover more people
  • Items bought locally can support the local economy
• Please do not donate used clothing; most nonprofits do not have laundry facilities or staff/volunteers to manage those donations.
• If you find a nonprofit that accepts food donations, non-perishable items are preferred. Do not donate expired, dented or damaged, bulging, repackaged or home-preserved products, or items without labels.

Several responsible nonprofits have launched fire relief efforts, including:

Contact us

HI-EMA can be reached at 808-733-4300 or [email protected].gov.

(Last updated: August 10. 2023)