HONOLULU — US officials approved the request Extension of housing assistance For survivors of Catastrophic wildfires in 2023Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Friday.
Nearly 1,000 families displaced by the fires were anxiously awaiting word on whether federal aid helping them stay in housing would be left to expire, forcing them to find new housing or pay more for it in one of the most cramped and expensive rental environments in the country.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has approved Hawaii’s request to extend FEMA’s temporary housing assistance to Maui wildfire survivors through February 2027, Green said in a press release.
FEMA did not immediately respond to requests to confirm the extension.
“I lifted a weight I didn’t realize I was carrying, and I know many other families were carrying the same weight as well,” said Kukui Keahi, a Lahaina fire survivor and associate director of Kaku Maui Programs at the nonprofit Hawaii Council, after learning of the extension.
Fires in Lahaina and Kula, in rural Maui, destroyed 2,200 structures and killed 102 people. Then-President Joe Biden declared a major disaster and opened FEMA aid to help 12,000 displaced people, 89% of whom were renters at the time of the fires. His administration eventually extended the program by 18 months until February 2026.
But with few homes being rebuilt and rental inventory near zero, the state requested another extension in May.
“Recovery does not follow an artificial deadline, and I appreciate Secretary Noem and the Administration for acknowledging the reality families continue to face on the ground here in Hawaii,” Green said.
While huge fires occurred in other states More homes were destroyedThe Maui fires created a unique crisis. The limited number of dwellings and the island’s remote location from the mainland United States made transporting survivors and rebuilding very difficult.
FEMA, state, county, and nonprofit organizations scrambled to Finding solutions to shelter displaced peopleMost were desperate to stay near Lahaina to be close to work, schools and the community.
After working with the Red Cross to house 8,000 residents in hotels and other temporary shelters in the first weeks, FEMA has slowly transitioned families to other forms of housing assistance.
It offered rent money, set up temporary shelters on burned properties, and rented out thousands of units itself to rent to survivors, although some complained of onerous eligibility requirements and requirements. Having to move several times.
Stephen Hu had not heard of FEMA’s decision until contacted by The Associated Press. The 52-year-old restaurant cashier is renting a FEMA-subsidized apartment after a fire burned down his family’s multi-generational home in Lahaina.
Hugh was “trembling” after hearing the news. “A lot of people were nervous and afraid and didn’t know what they would do” if aid was not extended, he said.
“Someone had a heart and said ‘yes,’ and whoever that person is, I thank them,” Hugh said.
He plans to save enough money over the next year to rent a place on his own.
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Aoun Anguera reported from San Diego, California.