Gov’t Officials Tour Lahaina Recovery Efforts for Safer, Accessible, Resilient Infrastructure

In the ongoing recovery efforts from the wildfires in Lahaina, government officials Senator Brian Schatz and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Maui recently to view the updates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency. They also received an update on the Honoapiilani Highway realignment project.

“The recovery effort in Lāhainā is making good progress, but there is much more work left to do,” Schatz said.

“Debris removal has come a long way and is on track for completion. A temporary school for students is also on the verge of opening on April 1. But housing continues to be the most pressing priority and we need to urgently build units to provide survivors with long-term certainty. The federal government has and will continue to play a key role in supporting the recovery for as long as it takes and helping get people back on their feet.”

Schatz helped secure grants for the highway realignment project including a multi-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project will realign 4.5 miles of the highway from Ukumehame to Launiupoko and help protect the highway from sea level rise and coastal erosion which will ensure its safety and accessibility for decades.

“We’re going to continue fighting to get federal resources to make infrastructure on Maui and across Hawai‘i safer, more accessible, and more resilient,” Schatz said.