Lahaina’s fire-gutted Liberty Apartment building stands on Luakini Street on Aug. 12. Residents impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires have until Sept. 15 to apply for temporary emergency lodging through the Red Cross, which is managing multiple hotel sites across the island where displaced residents are staying. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Survivors of the Maui wildfires have until Sept. 15 to sign up for temporary emergency housing with the American Red Cross which has been arranging for displaced residents to stay in hotels and other properties.

Since Aug. 16, the Red Cross, Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency and FEMA have relocated more than 7,500 displaced survivors from shelters to a total of 29 hotels and hundreds of Airbnbs, Gov. Josh Green said in a televised speech on Friday afternoon.

As of Wednesday, the Red Cross was managing 29 hotel shelter locations on Maui and caring for more than 5,800 people from more than 2,100 survivor households, according to a joint news release from the Red Cross and HI-EMA. The Red Cross provides meals, mental health support, health services, reunification services, spiritual care, financial assistance and casework at the sites it manages.

“However, hotels can’t be our long-term solution to housing in West Maui,” Green said. “We have entered into an agreement with the Red Cross to house our people for a minimum of 36 weeks. We are also pursuing relationships with large numbers of homeowners who have historically used their properties as short-term rentals to convert them into long-term rentals to accommodate displaced residents. Residents may then enter agreements to receive housing through FEMA.”

Green said that FEMA will continue to assist with direct leases and rental assistance grants “to ensure that people stay housed well into 2025, and these costs will be covered by federal assistance, state resources and humanitarian aid.”

He said the state plans to contract with three to five local hotels to lease their entire properties long term.

“A smaller number of transitional, temporary housing units in the form of kauhale communities will be built to aid those not housed in long-term rentals or hotels,” he said, referring to the villages of tiny homes that have been built on other islands.

The state continues to operate its Hawai’i Fire Relief Housing Program, which connects residents with landlords and available units across the state. The program is running indefinitely.

According to Green, a total of 15,931 individuals have filed for FEMA relief.

FEMA said Friday that more than $60 million in federal assistance has been approved for more than 5,000 Maui households. Just over $20.8 million of that comes from FEMA, which has approved a little over $10.1 million for housing assistance and nearly $10.7 million for other needs.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has also approved more than $30 million in disaster loans for homeowners and renters and nearly $8 million in loans for businesses, the agency said Thursday.

On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz also announced that FEMA would be providing nearly $95 million to Hawaii to cover the 90 percent federal cost share for temporary housing at hotels, meals and services for those impacted by the fires.

The Aug. 8 wildfires killed at least 115 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures in Lahaina. Another 19 homes burned down Upcountry. Parts of Upcountry and West Maui are still under unsafe water advisories as a result of the fires.

Residents are eligible for the Red Cross’ noncongregate sheltering program if they owned or rented a home in Maui County that is now uninhabitable due to the wildfires.

To remain eligible, residents must apply for FEMA assistance and should not withdraw their application. However, they do not have to be eligible for FEMA assistance in order to qualify for the noncongregate sheltering program, the Red Cross said. The organization is assisting anyone affected by the wildfires regardless of whether they are eligible to remain in the program.

The duration of the sheltering program will depend on a number of factors, including continued survivor eligibility, availability of hotel rooms and availability of other housing solutions.

Eligible households who need a safe place to stay and have not yet contacted the Red Cross should call (800) RED-CROSS (733-2767). Residents who wish to participate in the program have until 5 p.m. on Sept. 15 to contact the Red Cross with a need for emergency lodging and be entered into the program. Those who have already signed up will continue to receive shelter and services as long as they are eligible. Eligible applicants do not need to register again.

Those who would like to provide housing for displaced survivors can contact the Hawai’i Housing Finance and Development Corporation, which is identifying available units through its Hawai’i Fire Relief Housing Program launched last month. To get involved, email hhfdcfirereliefhousing @hawaii.gov.

* Managing Editor Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

Lahaina’s fire-gutted Liberty Apartment building stands on Luakini Street on Aug. 12. Residents impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires have until Sept. 15 to apply for temporary emergency lodging through the Red Cross, which is managing multiple hotel sites across the island where displaced residents are staying. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

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