FEMA plans to issue a public notice and Draft Environmental Assessment seeking input on its plan to develop a 36-acre site at Fleming Road on Maui, where temporary modular homes will be built to house individuals and families who were displaced by the August wildfires.

The public notice and Draft Environmental Assessment will be available beginning March 8 and gives the public seven days, ending March 15, to review and comment on FEMA’s proposed plan.

The notice will be posted on FEMA’s Hawaiʻi disaster page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4724. Printed copies will be available for viewing or photocopying at the Disaster Recovery Center at Lahaina Civic Center Gymnasium, 1840 Honoapi‘ilani Highway in Lahaina on Maui.

Wildfires on Maui Aug. 8 displaced more than 8,000 people from their homes. That’s about two-thirds of the pre-disaster population of Lahaina. The president approved a major disaster declaration Aug. 10, allowing FEMA to provide direct support to survivors under its Individuals and Households Program and pay for disaster-damaged infrastructure.

The public notice advises of FEMA’s intent to develop the 36-acre Fleming Road temporary group housing site in West Maui, just north of Keawe Street and the Lahaina Bypass and southeast of Fleming Road. The site, which would house 169 modular homes, is intended to be operational for up to 18 months and extended depending on the needs of the disaster.

FEMA prepared a draft environmental assessment for the proposed site, summarizing the purpose and need for the project, the site selection process, alternatives considered, and the potential environmental consequences of the project. It assesses the potential impacts of the proposed construction on the human and natural environment.

Written public comments can be mailed to: FEMA Region IX EHP, 1111 Broadway, Suite 1200, Oakland, CA 94607-4052. If emailing, include “Fleming Road Temporary Group Housing Site” in the subject line and send it to: fema-rix-ehp-documents@fema.dhs.gov.

Substantive comments will be addressed in the Final Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact, which will be posted to FEMA’s National Environmental Policy Act repository.

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. You may also get disaster assistance information and download applications at sba.gov/hawaii-wildfires.