Maui wildfires one year later: recovery projects highlight community resilience : Maui Now [Video]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reflected upon a challenging year marked by the Aug. 8 wildfires disaster. FEMA administrators say major recovery projects highlight the community’s resilience and the role of FEMA in supporting rebuilding efforts.

Bob Fenton, FEMA Region 9 Administrator said a huge part of the progress was educating staff on the culture in Hawaiʻi. “What that’s allowed us to do is to really better understand the community, the unique needs, and the history of Hawaiʻi. From that, it’s allowed us to work on specific projects that will help the community, both in the short-term and long-term,” he said.

One of the earlier projects was building a temporary campus for Kamehameha III Elementary, which was destroyed beyond repair during the wildfires.

“The Corps of Engineers did a tremendous job of accomplishing that in 95 days and being able to reestablish school on April 1,” said Fenton, acknowledging the completion of the temporary site at the …