Department of Human Services

SEPTEMBER 2024

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State of Hawai`i Department of Human Services

Welcome to the Hawai`i Department of Human Services’ Maui Resource Hub, where we share information, update our community, and provide access to resources for wildfire survivors. 

The Hawai`i Department of Human Services (DHS) is honored to help the Maui community as we work together to rebuild and recover. We are committed to helping our community and know that this is a challenging time for all involved. 

This first resource we are sharing is a new report from DHS that includes details on how the department has helped lead the state’s response and the community’s recovery. The report, One Year of Progress: Recovery and Healing from the Maui Wildfires, opens with a letter from Ryan Yamane, Director of DHS, Joseph Campos, Deputy Director of DHS, and Trista Speer, Deputy Director of DHS. 

We are including the opening letter and the report here: HI DHS One Year of Progress Report.  

One Year of Progress: Recovery and Healing from the Maui Wildfires

Introduction from the Department of Human Services Director’s Office and Report Overview

On August 8, 2023, strong winds drove wildfires out of control on Maui– resulting in the worst natural disaster in Hawai`i’s history and one of the worst American wildfires of the last century. Nearly all of the town of Lahaina was destroyed, and Kula was significantly damaged. 3,971 properties, including homes, businesses, and schools, making up the fabric of our communities, were destroyed. The property damage was estimated to be as high as $6 billion. A staggering 102 lives were lost. 

This terrible tragedy forever changed our community. August 8th is a day that we must remember and honor those we lost, while we also continue to help our ‘Ohana recover– and plan for the future. 

At the Hawai`i Department of Human Services (DHS), we are dedicated to our mission of supporting the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in Hawai`i, with the goal of helping the people of Hawai`i to thrive. Following the Maui wildfires, and at Governor Josh Green, M.D.’s direction, DHS has focused on helping lead the state’s response and the community’s recovery. Each day, we work to support and rebuild the fabric of our communities, provide essential support to survivors including access to nutrition support, temporary housing, support services for disaster relief, financial support, medical and mental healthcare, and comprehensive disaster case management services. 

While there is still a long road ahead, we are honored to provide for and help our community in this time of need. We are proud of the progress made and continue to focus on rebuilding our future. We are enormously grateful to Governor Green for his leadership in this work, to our many partners in helping to serve our community, and to each member of the DHS team for their tireless work and commitment to make a difference for the people of Hawai`i each day. 

This progress report captures DHS’ actions in the year since the Maui wildfires and our impacts on people’s lives and outcomes in our community as a whole. Data included in this report has been collected directly from local, state, and federal sources and personal accounts from survivors and community members. All of the data included in this report is current through July 15, 2024. 

Thank you, 

Ryan Yamane, DHS Director

Joseph Campos, DHS Deputy Director

Trista Speer, DHS Deputy Director