​Kula MEMA meeting has moved to Tuesday nights, 6 PM, in the Kula Elem. Cafeteria.

Mayor Richard Bissen announced today that weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings will launch Upcountry this week for Kula residents impacted by the August wildfires.

The weekly meetings, beginning on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, will be held at the Kula Elementary School cafeteria. They will continue weekly at 6 p.m. every Thursday in November and December as debris cleanup progresses, with the exception of holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, 2023.

The Kula Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings will cover progress, schedule and common community questions. Kathy Ho, Deputy Director of Environmental Health for the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, will be in attendance at this weekʻs meeting. Representatives from the county, state and federal agencies will be available after the meeting to answer questions and offer informational materials.
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The Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings will be live-streamed and archived on the County of Maui Facebook page.
Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings for Lahaina residents began last week and will be held weekly at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Lahaina Civic Center.

​To notify Kula residents of nearby debris removal activities, the Kula Community Watershed Alliance and MEMA have compiled a schedule. It is now on-line and will be updated by the Watershed Alliance. You may view the schedule at https://bit.ly/KulaPhase2

​Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimora sent us this announcement today.

Aloha Everyone,

We are holding a Community Meeting tonight from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Eddie Tam Community center to discuss the ongoing debris removal and recovery process Upcountry. I apologize for such short notice as we have only just recently been able to finalize all of the logistics. This meeting is being held by the Mayor's Office and the Maui Emergency Management agency, in partnership with my office.

My office has been fortunate to help facilitate meetings with owners who lost property in the wildfires and responding agencies. We have been pushing for a broader community as well, and hope that you can join us tonight.

Kula Community Watershed Alliance has notified us that the Phase 2 Debris Cleanup began this week at the burned house sites in Kulamanu subdivision. They have asked Kula residents to please stay safe and avoid this area if you can. From what they can tell from the Department of Health fact sheet, use of PPE is recommended in the area.
Kula Community Watershed Alliance invites any concerned residents living near burned building sites to complete a survey (https://bit.ly/KulaDebris) which will help them keep neighbors informed of cleanup schedules. Right now, those who gave Right of Entry to the Army Corps of Engineers are the only people being informed, but they are hoping to change that to include neighbors in the surrounding areas.
If you are a neighbor who is concerned that the ash from cleanup sites may reach your living space, please complete this form to help this Hui coordinate communications and understand community need: https://bit.ly/KulaDebris

Due to drought conditions, the Department of Water Supply has issued a Stage 2 Water Shortage as daily demand in Upcountry is exceeding supply by 20%.  This declaration requires Upcountry water users to stop using water for irrigation, watering lawns, washing vehicles or other nonessential activities. Also, the use of temporary construction meters is prohibited. At this time, there is no change to water rates.  The Upcountry service area includes Makawao, Upper and Lower Kula, Pukalani, Kaupakalua, Ulupalakua, and Kanaio.  For more information follow this LINK.

The official County of Maui website for recovery efforts related to the August 2023 fires on Maui has had a successful launch. Those impacted are encouraged to visit the site for important information and ongoing updates. Please review important safety information for returning to fire-impacted areas.

Follow this LINK for the new website.

​COUNTY PRESS RELEASE
The Department of Water Supply has lifted the Unsafe Water Advisory for Upper Kula, removing the two remaining areas, UK-2B and UK-5. Water serving buildings and homes in Area UK-2B and UK-5 is declared safe for unrestricted use effective October 31, 2023.

At this time, the Department is requesting all Upcountry, Maui water consumers to refrain from using water for irrigation, lawns, personal washing of vehicles, or other nonessential activities. If the water demand can be reduced then no further restrictions will be necessary.

For more information follow this link.

This project update was sent to the KCA today by Michael Reyes Senior Ecologist/Principal, Maui Environmental Consulting, LLC. He asked us to share it with our members. Please view the attached pdf file at this link. At the very end of the pdf file you will find a link to the text of the draft version of the Maalaea Bay Watershed Management Plan.

​Fifty members of the Upcountry community came together to explore and learn from the opportunities, dilemmas, and experiences we faced during the wildfires and the immediate and ongoing recovery efforts.

The KCA facilitated three rounds of dialogue with a focusing question for each round:

1. What are the opportunities and dilemmas we faced during the Upcountry wildfires and during the immediate and ongoing recovery efforts?
2. What would make the most difference to the future fire and water safety of Upcountry?
3. What would it take to create change on how we manage fire and water safety in Upcountry?

At the conclusion of the dialogue rounds, the participants synthesized their conversations into the two most compelling insights from each question then shared those with the entire group.  
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Follow this link for a synthesis of the major insights.  Also included is a listing of insights by question and photographs of the tabletop templates where participants shared their manaʻo throughout the rounds of dialogue.

Aloha KCA members!  

The Kula Community Association will host a facilitated community conversation on the recent upcountry wildfires, both the impact and a way forward, for KCA members and Upcountry residents at the Kula Community Center on October 18th, 2023 at 6:00pm.  Unlike our traditional general membership format of a panel of speakers, this will be a facilitated meeting where we will talk story and begin community problem solving through rounds of questions and small group discussions.

Attendees will have an opportunity to process the impacts of the fire on our community while focusing on three key questions:  

• What are the opportunities and dilemmas we faced during the Upcountry wildfires and during the immediate and ongoing recovery efforts?
• What would make the most difference to the future fire and water safety of Upcountry?
• What would it take to create change on how we manage fire and water safety in Upcountry? 

The goal of this meeting is to collectively begin to create a path towards a fire and water resilient Upcountry community.  As the facilitator, KCA will gather participant input and organize our needs into an Upcountry Fire and Water Resiliency Plan. 

Seating is limited.  Please wear a mask as Covid and flu season is upon us. 

Contact Name:    Jordan Hocker
Phone:    808-495-1700
Email:    jhocker07@gmail.com
Website:    https://www.kulamaui.com

The County of Maui just announced The Unsafe Water Advisory has been removed for those in Zone UK-4. Zone UK-2A and Zone 1 were previously removed from the advisory. As of, October 10th, Zone UK-2B, UK-3, and UK-5 remain under the Unsafe Water Advisory. Please see the updated interactive map here, to check what Zone your home or business is in.

​The County of Maui just announced The Unsafe Water Advisory has been removed for those in Zone 2A.  Zone 1 was previously removed from the advisory. As of, October 6, Zone 2B, 3, 4 and 5 remain under the Unsafe Water Advisory. Please see the updated interactive map here, to check what Zone your home or business is in. 

Councilwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura has announced a Resource Fair to be held from 1:00 - 7:00 pm at the Kula Community Center.

FEMA and other agency representatives will be available to answer questions and provide assistance. 

Amended Upper Kula Unsafe Water Advisory 9-12-2023
(use this LINK for the full Advisory)

Effective September 12, 2023, the Department of Water Supply announces that the Unsafe Water Advisory for Upper Kula has been amended to remove Zone 1 from the affected area. Water serving homes and buildings in Zone 1 has been determined to be safe for unrestricted use. To determine if your address is in a specific zone, please refer to the interactive map at the following link:  Zone Map

The latest test results for Upcountry Water Testing have been posted on the Maui County Water Department website.  https://www.mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12755
The Kula Community Association will continue to follow progress on water testing and other issues impacting our residents. 

​Please follow our FB page!  https://www.facebook.com/kulacommunityassociation/

​(This update is from Councilwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura summarizing the information provided at the upcountry meeting held on 8/24.)
 
Thank you to Akakū for airing the meeting last night. For those who missed it, here is a link to the meeting video.
 
Mahalo to Water Director John Stufflebean, as well as Melvin Tokuda and Dennis Lopez from the State Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Branch for answering questions related to water. We are also very grateful for the participation of Prof. Andy Whelton of Purdue University.
 
RECAP OF INFORMATION SHARED LAST NIGHT

• What was done in response to the fire:
• The system was isolated and secured
• The system was re-pressurized for fire control
• Determined the water advisory and affected areas as is standard practice following a wildfire
• Water samples were collected for testing
• It takes about one week from collection of samples to receiving results
• What is ongoing:
• Samples are still being collected for testing, with more testing to be done in the coming weeks
• None of the samples tested so far exceed health standards
• What is next:
• Sampling/testing will continue over the coming weeks to ensure that the water is safe
• It will likely be a couple of weeks before areas are removed from the advisory
• A definitive timeline was not given because it depends on test results
• If your address is located in the advisory area, follow all guidelines
• If your address is not located in the advisory area, your water is fine
• Increased communication from the Department of Water Supply

 
QUESTIONS

• My office is working on consolidating the questions that were not addressed in last night's meeting so we can get the appropriate and accurate responses.

 
GUIDANCE

• Check the advisory map to see if you are located in the affected area. Addresses are searchable on the top left.
• Follow the guidance put forward by the water department. This information, along with other resources, can be found on mauinuistrong.info.
• Lab results for Upper Kula water systems can be viewed here.

 

The Department of Water Supply has provided an updated interactive map that highlights the areas in Upcountry and Lahaina affected by the unsafe water advisory.

Use this LINK for the interactive map.

Aloha Upcountry Residents - Councilmember Yukilei Sugimura will host an upcountry community meeting about our water situation this Thursday, 8/24 at the Kula Community Center. The following information comes from correspondence with the office of Councilmember Sugimura. 
 
The meeting will focus on the current water situation in Kula. More information will be provided soon.

Attending this meeting will be John Stufflebean - County Director of Water Supply - as well as representatives from the State Department of Health and Environmental Protection Agency. 

Please share this information with any friends or family that you feel may benefit from the information provided.  My (Councilmember Sugimura) office and I continue to request more information be provided to our Upcountry residents by relevant departments and agencies.

A new Community Information Hub, by the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, on the status of Maui water safety is now up and running.  You will find updates and relevant links to answer your questions on water testing and safety.

​Click this LINK for more details.

The Unsafe Water Advisory for Upper Kula is still in effect. The advisory was issued as a precautionary measure due to the unknown impacts of the wildfires in the area. The advisory will be updated as test results are analyzed.
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Use this LINK for the full Advisory.