Governor Josh Green, M.D.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transporta­tion (HDOT) assisted with emergency response to the fires in Lāhainā and Kula, including working with the Maui Police and Fire Departments on the evacuation of non-essential individuals, and planning for needed goods to come into West Maui.

A few of the immediate needs HDOT Airports division focused on at the beginning of the disaster, included working with the airlines to increase seat counts for emergency evacuation of visitors, working with the county to establish transportation for visitors and residents to shelters, working with TSA to eliminate checkpoint delays, and feeding stranded travelers overnight at Kahului airport as they waited to evacuate. It also worked to increase the capacity of the Kapalua airport to provide small plane and helicopter access for residents, service providers, and aid.

The HDOT Highways Division supported MPD to close and secure Honoapi‘ilani Highway to allow for debris removal. Part of its efforts included providing labor, equipment for traffic control, and installing 30,000 feet of dust screen to confine the potentially hazardous materials in the impact site and protect the users of the highway. They also worked to ensure that transportation could be made available for students in need of relocation to open schools.

HDOT Harbors worked quickly with the Governor to waive wharfage, demurrage, and storage fees for certain types of cargo incoming to Kahului Harbor, to help accommodate donations and aid. As a result, this provided space for donation collections at harbors, ensuring space availability for hazmat and debris clear­ance to support the eventual recovery efforts. Entry fees for boats that lost their berth spaces have also been waived.

HDOT continues to work on infrastructure restoration with the initial emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration and is planning aggressive vegetation management statewide to reduce fire risks.