Army Corps of Engineers opens Maui office for wildfire relief

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has established an office on Maui to oversee the management and execution of its contribution to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recovery missions following the wildfires that ravaged Lahaina and parts of Upcountry.

USACE said Friday its new Recovery Field Office in Kihei would give it a central location for its mission experts to work and support ongoing disaster response efforts across the island.

“From here, USACE’s team leads for debris, power, and critical public facilities work with on-the-ground leadership and partner agencies to better facilitate the recovery effort,” Col. Jess Curry, commander of the new office, said in a news release. “As we move forward, we will also work with cultural and community advisors to develop a detailed process in support of FEMA, the state of Hawaii and Maui County that helps us protect the cultural heritage of Hawaii, Hawaiians and Hawaii residents.”

The fires began Aug. 8 when high winds along with drought conditions allowed the flames to spread quickly, straining firefighting resources. Most of historic Lahaina burned down, killing at least 98 people, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century.

USACE personnel have been on the ground since early on in the response efforts, mostly conducting evaluations and surveys of the destruction in preparation for what is expected to be a long and complicated process for removing debris and repairing — or, in many cases, possibly replacing — damaged infrastructure.

According to the news release, the RFO provides a place for support personnel to “work behind-the-scenes providing logistics, finance and administrative support, enabling the planning and response teams to execute the mission on the ground, providing direct support to the hardest-hit communities.”

Curry said it is “an important milestone for recovery operations and a promise that USACE is here until the job is done.”