FEMA programs offer immediate funds, housing assistance for Maui wildfire survivors
Maui wildfire survivors can apply for immediate FEMA benefits to cover gas, food and critical needs. Free WiFi is available at shelters and disaster relief centers in Maui.
FEMA deploys search and rescue team to Maui
Search and rescue personnel and canines from the FEMA National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System are on the ground working closely with local responders in Maui to provide search operations in the affected areas of West Maui.
Thousands of Maui residents who fled their homes during the deadly brush fires are eligible for emergency benefits to cover critical supplies and temporary housing.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration is on the ground in Maui for response and recovery efforts after thousands of homes and structures were destroyed last week during the wildfires fueled by 70 mph wind gusts moving fires more than 1 mile a minute.
FEMA activated the Critical Needs Assistance program, which provides a one-time payment of $700 per household for life-sustaining items, including water, food, first aid, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, medical equipment and fuel.
Maui's wildfire survivors can apply for assistance by completing a FEMA application and providing identification. The application can be completed online through the FEMA mobile app, the website or by calling the 24-hour disaster assistance helpline at 1-800-621-3362.
4 FAMILY MEMBERS DIE IN HAWAII WILDFIRE: ‘IT’S LIKE A GUT PUNCH’
FEMA is working with Hawaii and the local government in Maui to address the critical housing shortage.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said over 2,200 structures in Lahaina were destroyed, with nearly 90% of those residential housing.
The FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program is active for those impacted by the fires in need of temporary housing. The program will pay for nightly rooms, including pet fees at participating hotels.
![Volunteers unload donations at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains.]()
Image 1 of 9Volunteers unload donations at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![People wait in line to receive free meals at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023.]()
Image 2 of 9People wait in line to receive free meals at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Donated clothes are seen at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023.]()
Image 3 of 9Donated clothes are seen at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Police tape surrounds the site of a home destroyed by the Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on August 13, 2023.]()
Image 4 of 9Police tape surrounds the site of a home destroyed by the Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on August 13, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)
![A Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula]()
Image 5 of 9A Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula, (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)
![A fallen tree uprooted by high winds rests on the ground as a Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula.]()
Image 6 of 9A fallen tree uprooted by high winds rests on the ground as a Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP )
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Image 7 of 9Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 14, 2023. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP)
![Maui residents John Rey Serrano and Lexie Lara look from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. A wildfire that left Lahaina in charred ruins has killed at least 67 people, authorities said on August 11, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the US state's history. Brushfires on Maui, fueled by high winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south of Hawaii, broke out August 8 and rapidly engulfed Lahaina.]()
Image 8 of 9Maui residents John Rey Serrano and Lexie Lara look from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. A wildfire that left Lahaina in charred ruins has killed at least 67 people, authorities said on August 11, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the US state's history. Brushfires on Maui, fueled by high winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south of Hawaii, broke out August 8 and rapidly engulfed Lahaina. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)
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Image 9 of 9Volunteers prepare free meals to donate to West Maui families affected by wildfires, at the University of Hawaii Maui College in Kahului, central Maui, Hawaii on August 13, 2023. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
Fire survivors need a FEMA registration ID for Hawaii DR-4724 to participate in the TSA program. After registering for FEMA assistance, you can find a participating hotel here.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell spoke about the challenges after taking stock of the housing resources on the island. Criswell said the traditional emergency housing options used in the continental U.S. will not cover all the needs in Maui.
"We are working very closely with the governor to better understand all available options, whether that means longer term, we bring in tiny houses or our transitional housing units to help him create the communities that he wants," Criswell said. "We're not taking anything off the table, and we're going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build these communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term."
HAWAII BRUSH FIRES BY THE NUMBERS: THE SCOPE OF THE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE
Applying for benefits or even communication is still difficult in Maui. Many areas do not have cellphone signal or internet.
Spectrum opened 8,000 hot spots across Hawaii with free WiFi access. Hawaiian Telcom and/or Spectrum Internet are offering WiFi at the War Memorial Gymnasium, Kihei Gym, Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center, War Memorial Stadium and Iron Maehara Stadium.
Hawaiian Telcom service has been restored to 10,000 customers in Kula and Makawao and several cell sites in Hosmer Grove.
Hawaiian Telcom customers can request to have calls to their landline numbers forwarded free of charge to another phone number.
Starlink internet service users have reportedly been opening up their WiFi in other areas of the island because transportation is still limited, and thousands of vehicles were also destroyed in the fires.