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U.S. officials have approved a request for housing assistance to survivors of catastrophic 2023 wildfires, hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Friday.
Nearly 1,000 families displaced by the fires are anxiously awaiting word on whether federal aid to help them house themselves will expire, forcing them to find new housing or pay higher rates in one of the most stressful and expensive rental environments in the country.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem Approval of Hawaii’s request to extend FEMA temporary housing assistance Maui Greene said in a news release that wildfire survivors will live until February 2027.
FEMA There was no immediate response to a request to confirm the extension.
“It lifted a weight that I didn’t even realize I was carrying, and I know a lot of other families are carrying the same weight,” Kukui Keahi said. Lahaina Fire survivor Kako’o Maui, associate director of programs for the nonprofit Hawaii Council, said after learning of the delay.
Fires broke out in Lahaina and Kula in mainland Maui, destroying 2,200 structures and killing 102 people. Then-President Joe Biden declared a major disaster and activated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance to help 12,000 displaced people, 89% of whom were renters at the time of the fire. His government eventually extended the 18-month program until February 2026.
But with few homes being rebuilt and rental inventory close to zero, the state requested another extension in May.
“There is no artificial deadline for recovery, and I thank Secretary Noem and the administration for recognizing the reality that Hawaii families still face,” Green said.
While megafires in other states have destroyed more homes, Maui’s fires have created a unique crisis. Limited housing stock and the island’s remote location from the U.S. mainland made relocating survivors and rebuilding extremely difficult.
FEMA, state, county and nonprofit groups are all working to find solutions to house the displaced, most of whom are eager to stay near Lahaina, close to jobs, schools and communities.
After working with the Red Cross to place 8,000 residents in hotels and other temporary shelters in the first few weeks, FEMA slowly transitioned families to other forms of housing assistance.
It provides rental funding, installs temporary shelters on burned-out homes and rents thousands of units on its own to lease back to survivors, although some complain of onerous eligibility requirements and having to move multiple times.
Steven Hew had not heard of FEMA’s decision until contacted by The Associated Press. The 52-year-old restaurant cashier rented a subsidized apartment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after a fire destroyed his family’s multi-generational home in Lahaina.
Hugh “trembled all over” after hearing the news. He said that if assistance was not provided, “a lot of people would be nervous and scared and not know what they were going to do.”
“Somebody had the heart to just say ‘yes,’ and whoever that person was, I appreciate them,” Hugh said.
He plans to save enough money to rent a house by himself next year.
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Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego, California.