Council hears updates on kona low response, Lahaina wildfire rebuilding

More than 80 youth advocates gathered at the state capitol for an annual youth rally to “Take Down Tobacco” on Wednesday. Students from Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island, along with community advocates, urged lawmakers to take action to end the youth vaping epidemic. 

The summit region of Kīlauea experienced tephra fallout and a Kona low storm this past week. Cleanup, recovery, and regrowth is ongoing. These processes are natural and have been recognized and embodied in Native Hawaiian oral traditions about Pele, Lono, and Hiʻiaka.

Playful interaction put the focus on ‘ohana’ at the March 13 Maui Tech ‘Ohana, presented by Maui Economic Development Board. The evening’s guest speaker, Doug Nelson, used structured games and playful activities to help participants connect and share in ways that feel natural, energizing, and meaningful.

As of 5 a.m., the majority of the large outages on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu have been resolved. Some customers must repair damage to their property before service can safely be restored.

The state of Hawaiʻi Office of Consumer Protection is alerting consumers who have reservations with ACE Rent A Car Maui to make alternative arrangements, as OCP has confirmed with company personnel at Ace Customer Care that the company has ceased doing business on Maui and has no intention of honoring existing bookings. Travelers who pre-booked rental vehicles through this company can expect to find no shuttle service available and no personnel to assist them upon their arrival at Kahului Airport (OGG).

South Kīhei has been identified by MEMA as an area at high-risk of flooding due to significant sediment accumulation from the recent kona low storm. Ongoing cleanup efforts are focused on restoring drainage capacity, but elevated flood risk remains. Other areas of moderate-risk include ʻĪao, East Molokaʻi, Lahaina, and East Maui.

While Maui County braces for more severe weather, council members are poised to take action Friday morning on a $15 million request for emergency funding, following a Wednesday committee update on the effort to rebuild from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire disaster.

This assistance is for current SNAP recipients who experienced food loss due to household misfortune, such as extended power outages or flooding across the state.

PDF conversion software called DocAccess has been launched on County of Maui-managed websites to provide several new accessibility and translation features.

The new kona storm forecast to reach the state beginning today follows a severe kona storm that impacted the state March 13 to 16, 2026. Maui received the highest rainfall totals in the state from the first kona storm, and wind speeds were second highest in the state, according to NWS data. Flooding and wind severely damaged portions of South Maui, ‘Īao, Upper Kula, East Maui and Lahaina.

The County of Maui Department of Liquor Control will begin accepting license renewal applications on April 1, 2026. Applications may be submitted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the department’s office, 110 Ala’ihi St., Room 212, Kahului.

Caitlin Sarian, a cybersecurity expert with over 11 years of global experience, will be one of two keynote speakers for the 17th annual Hawaiʻi STEM Conference taking place on Oʻahu on April 15 and 16.