A breakdown of early insurance data from the Maui, Hawaii, wildfires shows more than 6,079 residential property and personal auto claims totalling more than $1.35 billion have been filed for losses in West Maui and Upcountry Maui.
The preliminary data released Monday by the state Department of Insurance is current through 30 September and was collected from more than 200 property and casualty insurers and surplus lines carriers doing business in Hawaii who responded to a request for data from the department.
The data, which shows the depth of losses and needs following the devastating Maui wildfires, was released on the same day that Gov. Josh Green issued his eighth emergency proclamation related to the wildfires and added new amendments to assist survivors with housing and recovery. According to the preliminary breakdowns, the larger Lahaina Fire on August 8, the deadliest fire in the U.S. in more than 100 years, resulted in 3,732 residential property claims, of which 1,683 were total loss claims. Claims totalled more than $1.29 billion, of which more than $660.4 million had been paid by 30 September.
The West Maui fire also resulted in 1,985 personal auto claims, of which 1,440 were total losses. Estimated total losses for personal motor vehicles were in excess of $25.3 million, of which more than $21.6 million had been paid as of 30 September.
The smaller Upcountry Maui fire resulted in 299 residential property claims, of which 12 were total losses. As at 30 September these claims totalled over $32 million and over $15.8 million had been paid. There were 63 personal auto claims related to the Upcountry Maui fire, of which 25 were total losses. Estimated losses as of 30 September were $602,000, of which $510,000 has been paid.
State Insurance Commissioner Gordon I. Ito said in a statement, “Behind every claim is a person, a family member, a homeowner or a business owner. The loss we have suffered as a state is unimaginable, but the Hawaii Insurance Division has been and will continue to support the people of Maui as they begin to rebuild.
State insurance departments typically collect data after a disaster or catastrophic event. The data is used to determine the total number of claims and insured losses, monitor the solvency of in-state insurers, and improve the overall policyholder experience.
Visit for resources on navigating the insurance claims process.
The state Department of Insurance has been on Maui since August, and a representative is still available for in-person assistance at the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center at the Lahaina Civic Center Gymnasium from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Green’s proclamation, which will remain in effect until 5 January, also provides state assistance to help Maui residents recover. Two new key amendments to the emergency proclamation are aimed at improving housing options for Maui residents still displaced by their losses.
The emergency proclamation now:
- Allows condominium owners and associations to extend deadlines in their governing documents.
- Encourages hotels, motels and condominiums to make units available for the housing of those displaced by the wildfires by exempting such housing arrangements from landlord-tenant laws unless specified in a lease.
The governor’s office says other new changes in the emergency proclamation will:
- Ease the burden on wildfire survivors who need to obtain records and evidence of identity, property and individual rights from the State Archives Division by waiving fees for copying, certification and other services.
- Allow liquor licensees of premises that are no longer in operation due to the wildfires to transfer their operations to a new premises within Maui County under temporary licences or permits, provided that the licensees and their operations were in compliance with liquor laws prior to 8 August 2023.
- Removing dairy and non-dairy milk, ice, and car rentals from the list of commodities subject to a prohibition on price increases on the island of Maui.
Support for Maui’s public schools is also on the way. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, announced Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has allocated $53 million in federal funds to build a temporary school in Pulelehua to replace King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was destroyed in the August fires.
Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement: “This new funding will provide King Kamehameha III students with a new temporary school that will help give them the resources they need to learn, connect with friends, and heal. As the recovery efforts continue in Lahaina, we’ll continue to work as hard as we can to bring more federal resources home.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Monday that Waianae-based Native Hawaiian organisation Pono Aina Management LLC was awarded a $53.7 million base contract on Nov. 3 to construct the temporary school.
USACE is designing and overseeing the installation of modular buildings for the temporary elementary school campus.
Col. Jess Curry, USACE Recovery Field Office commander, said in a statement: “The children of Lahaina have experienced a heartbreaking trauma, and the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Defense and our partners can now help the state restore a little normalcy to these young lives.
“This school may be temporary, but it will serve as a reminder that despite the grief and loss, the children of Lahaina will have a place to continue to learn, dream and thrive,” said Curry. “We are proud to be here for them in this moment.”
