LAHAINA – The West Maui Taxpayers Association invites the public to participate in the Jan. 12 launch of the nationally recognized and awarded Hawaii Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program (HHARP).

This information session at WMTA’s Annual Meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. at Lahaina Civic Center, is the first of over a dozen monthly workshops expected to be held through 2017 and 2018.

The objective of HHARP is to help communities prepare to be self-reliant during and after natural hazard events, improve their ability to take care of their own needs, and reduce the negative impacts of disasters. The West Maui community will be the first on Maui to undertake the HHARP process.

The program is supported by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Department of Defense, and the Maui Civil Defense Agency. West Maui Taxpayers Association will be the facilitating group for West Maui.