“The council continues to adjust its meeting schedules to help discuss and coordinate disaster relief efforts,” said County Council Chair Alice Lee.

WAILUKU — The County Council’s Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs and Planning Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, to receive updates on recovery efforts in response to the August 2023 wildfires, including temporary and transitional housing, said committee Chair Tamara Paltin.

The committee will hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Red Cross and more. No legislative action will be taken at the meeting.

“I strongly encourage community members to send their questions for resource personnel before Wednesday’s meeting via eComment or by e-mailing DRIP.Committee@mauicounty.us or Tamara.Paltin@mauicounty.us,” said Paltin, who holds the council seat for the West Maui residency area.

“We would like to work efficiently with these organizations to provide answers for our community.”

In-person, online and phone testimony is welcome at all meetings. Testimony instructions are on the meeting agenda available at mauicounty.us/agendas.

Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Tasha Kama, who chairs the Housing and Land Use Committee, said she canceled her committee meeting on Wednesday to allow more time for public testimony and updates from disaster relief organizations.

“The recent wildfire disasters in Lāhainā and Kula have drastically escalated our community’s lack of housing to a disaster in its own right,” said Kama, who holds the council seat for the Kahului residency area. “We must address this critical housing need now, and I look forward to hearing the ideas, proposals and public testimony on ways to provide temporary and transitional housing for our people.”

For more information, contact committee staff at DRIP.Committee@mauicounty.us or call (808) 270-7838.

Next, the County Council will hold a special council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 8 a.m. on a debris-removal bill, and a regular council meeting on Friday, Oct. 6, at 9 a.m on amending the fiscal year 2024 budget and other matters, Chair Alice L. Lee said.

Lee said Thursday’s special council meeting will discuss passage on first reading of Bill 86, CD1 (2023), establishing standards and procedures for the removal of fire debris from properties that were destroyed in the August 2023 wildfires. This week’s committee meeting schedule has also been adjusted as shown on the agendas at mauicounty.us.

Lee, who holds the seat for the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency area, said, “We thank the public for their flexibility as we try to accommodate the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires.”

The Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee and the Water and Infrastructure Committee met Monday to discuss community social services and the county’s permitting process, respectively.

The Agriculture, Diversification, Environment and Public Transportation Committee meets today at 9 a.m. to discuss post-wildfire environmental issues.

The Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs and Planning Committee meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. to receive updates on recovery efforts from disaster-relief agencies.

On Thursday, the Efficiency Solutions and Circular Systems Committee will receive a presentation on energy solutions at 9 a.m., and the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. to discuss budget amendments.

Friday’s council agenda also includes proposed amendments to the county budget for the current fiscal year.

For more information, visit mauicounty.us or call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7838.