FEMA Completes 167 Temporary Homes in Lahaina for Wildfire Survivors

LAHAINA, Maui – A community of 167 brightly colored temporary homes for wildfire survivors was completed this week on a Lahaina hillside where no housing existed a few months ago.

The final modular home at the Kilohana group housing site, developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was installed and is ready for occupancy. 

“It couldn’t have been done without everyone working together, being creative and solving problems,” said Forrest Lanning, FEMA’s joint housing task force leader. “This was a completely new type of housing project for FEMA, and we all had to be flexible to learn new things and get it done.”

The ambitious project unfolded rapidly in just 13 months. 

It began Oct. 28, 2023 – a few weeks after the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire — when FEMA brought in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a 34-acre, state-owned site for this crucial mission. The Army Corps was given the task of providing a design and preparing a temporary group housing site that would offer wildfire survivors an opportunity to move back to Lahaina.

Developing the site presented challenges. The land off Fleming Road was vacant and rocky. Blasting was performed using explosives to enable installation of streets and essential infrastructure such as utilities, water and sewer services.

FEMA hired three companies – Dynamic, Timberline and Acuity – to manufacture the one-, two- and three-bedroom modular units in the continental United States and ship them to Maui. 

The barge bringing the first 10 modular units, manufactured by Timberline, arrived Oct. 26, 2024, These units, along with their components were trucked to West Maui. A crane lifted the units carefully into place at Kilohana, where final assembly was completed.  

The first survivor households moved into the completed Kilohana units Nov. 22, 2024, with the remaining temporary homes readied over the next two months. Each unit was equipped with basic furnishings, and some were made to accommodate residents with access and functional needs. 

The modular homes have been built to last 30 years or more. They are the first prefabricated, modular temporary homes that FEMA has built that meet the International Building Code and local amendments.

Kilohana is located next to a state temporary housing project, Ka Laʻi Ola, which provides up to 450 units to assist individuals and families displaced by the wildfires.

For the latest information on the Maui wildfire recovery efforts, visit mauicounty.gov, mauirecovers.org, fema.gov/disaster/4724 and Hawaii Wildfires – YouTube. Follow FEMA on social media: @FEMARegion9 and facebook.com/fema. 

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