Multiple sources have reported on the slow pace and ongoing challenges of Lahaina’s post-fire recovery, nearly three years after the 2023 wildfires. Episcopal Relief & Development has received a Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Grant through National VOAD to fund fire-resilient rebuilds, while broader coverage highlights that regulatory hurdles continue to delay reconstruction across Lahaina.
- Episcopal Relief & Development received a Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Grant through National VOAD to support long-term recovery efforts in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi.
- The grant will fund fire-resistant upgrades — including metal roofing, ember-resistant vents, non-combustible siding, and defensible landscaping — on five planned home rebuild projects through the Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Long-Term Recovery Group. (Prnewswire)
- Families displaced by the 2023 fires have been receiving temporary housing, social services, and direct cash assistance to address barriers such as under-insurance, contractor shortages, and high construction costs. (Prnewswire)
- Nearly three years after the Lahaina fires, not a single destroyed business has been fully rebuilt, and only two commercial permits have been issued. (Theweek)
- State and county land-use, zoning, permitting, and historic-preservation laws have been cited as key factors slowing reconstruction, with lawmakers attempting piecemeal regulatory waivers to speed progress. (Theweek)
Sources
- Prnewswire: Episcopal Relief & Development Receives Verizon Grant via National VOAD to Invest in Maui’s Resilient Recovery
- Theweek: ‘This regulatory layer cake does not work well in normal times’
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