​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.