Capt. Paul Seawright (left) and Richard Stone from FEMA Urban Search and Rescue CA-TF6 arrive at Kahului Airport. PHOTO BY CINDY SCHUMACHER.

Maui residents affected by the recent wildfires can apply for federal disaster assistance at a joint Disaster Recovery Center that opened Aug. 16 and will continue daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the University of Hawaii Maui College at 310 W. Kaahumanu Ave. in Kahului.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) specialists will help people register for disaster assistance, connect with volunteer organizations and have access to federal and state resources.

Since 1979, FEMA has been the federal government’s lead agency in responding to and recovering from many of the nation’s greatest moments of crisis. Throughout its history, FEMA has built upon the more than 200 years of federal involvement in disaster response.

Capt. Paul Seawright, FEMA Urban Search & Rescue, said upon arrival at Kahului Airport on Wednesday evening, Aug. 16, “We brought approximately 70 men from Southern California to help assist the local effort of recovery. We will be concentrating our efforts on the West Side and wherever else we are needed.”

Seawright explained, “California Task Force 6 is run by the Department of Homeland Security. Under them is FEMA, which has 28 teams nationwide. California has eight. Of those eight, we are number six, (CA-TF6) California Task Force 6. We are located in the city of Riverside. The city of Riverside Fire Department is our host organization and we work with all the cities around us.”

California Task Force 6 is a blended team that comes together in a Type 1 Format that enables them to conduct searches in disaster areas. Type 1 is the highest national and state qualification level, meaning that all command and general staff positions are activated, and branches are established for the operation.

FEMA Type 1 Format teams have specialists that are able to support any action that is needed in an area of crisis. They are responsible for all aspects of emergency response, including developing incident objectives, managing incident operations, setting priorities, defining the organization of the incident management team, and the overall Incident Action Plan.