LAHAINA – After 14 months of community meetings and dialogue, a draft of the West Maui Emergency Plan is ready.

The All-Hazards Emergency Operations Plan can be reviewed and downloaded from the West Maui Taxpayers Association’s website at www.westmaui.org/emergency-planning.

The next step in the effort spearheaded by WMTA is to complete the document’s sample organizational chart at the next Emergency Planning Committee Meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Hawaii Maui College Lahaina Education Center Board Room at 60 Kenui St.

Joe Pluta of WMTA explained that Hurricane Lane’s recent run through the islands brought an unexpected disaster to West Maui: massive, dangerous brush fires in Lahaina and Kaanapali.

“If you have participated in the development of our plan, you will see that draft may need some edit revisions when it comes to fires in West Maui, as recent experiences provided insight accordingly,” he wrote.

The Emergency Planning Committee also needs to fill in assignments in the Disaster Response-Organizational Structure of the plan.

Members can draw from templates used by the Aina Haina and Manoa communities in their regional disaster plans.

Pluta said Dennis Terpin, a Certified FEMA/Department of Homeland Security Master Level instructor, is moving to Maui soon and will help update the plan for West Maui.

For more information, contact the West Maui Taxpayers Association at 661-7992 or wmta@maui.net.

Pluta explained that “we look forward to becoming the first community in Maui County with an official disaster preparedness plan! IMUA WEST MAUI!”