On Saturday, Phase 1 of the US Army Corps of Engineers-led removal of private property debris began with hazardous site assessments for 26 properties in Kula that were burned by the Aug. 8 wildfire.
Wildfire updates for Monday Aug. 15 are posted: HERE.
Recovery efforts continue on Maui where wildfires decimated the Historic Lahaina Town in West Maui, leaving a path of destruction spanning nearly 3.5 square miles. The fires were driven by hurricane force winds with 80 mph gusts as system Dora passed well south of the Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday, Aug. 8. The largest fires in Kula and Lahaina are still active burn areas where firefighting efforts continue. The wildfire is described as the nation’s deadliest in a 100 years.
Sugimura holds the council seat for the Upcountry area, which saw heavy damage from Maui’s ongoing wildfires. While West Maui saw the brunt of damage and all loss of life was tied to Lahaina, Upcountry is seeing its share of damage to property amid ongoing wildfire suppression efforts.
Firefighters continue to battle the Upcountry/Kula fire that was about 60% contained as of Sunday evening. The water is unsafe to drink or cook with in the impacted areas.