Hawaii governor calls for 3,000 vacation rentals to be converted to homes for Maui wildfire survivors and threatens to use the ‘hammer’ of post-fire emergency orders to force landlords who refuse

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said he wants 3,000 vacation homes converted into long-term housing for displaced wildfire survivors currently living in hotels, four months after the horrific fire engulfed Maui.

Green said he is prepared to use the “hammer” of emergency orders after the fire to ensure that owners of short-term vacation rentals expand them to long-term properties if enough spaces have not been voluntarily converted by mid-January.

On Thursday, the governor said 6,297 residents were still living in hotels, more than four months after the Aug. 8 wildfire wiped out historic Lahaina and killed at least 97 people — the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

The vast majority of residents have nowhere else to go due to Maui's extreme housing shortage. According to Green, there are currently between 12,000 and 14,000 units legally rented short-term on Maui. Including illegal ones, he estimated there could be nearly 25,000.

The lack of stable housing is a source of stress for Lahaina residents, some of whom have had to change hotel rooms several times since the fire. One group is camping on Kaanapali Beach in front of resort hotels, promising to stay there until the short-term rentals are converted for residents' use.

On August 8, a wildfire destroyed historic Lahaina and killed at least 97 people – the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history

About 86 percent of the approximately 2,200 buildings destroyed were residential and the value of the destroyed properties is estimated at more than $5 billion

The fire that engulfed century-old Lahaina destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000.

About 86 percent of the roughly 2,200 destroyed buildings were residential, and the value of the destroyed properties is estimated at more than $5 billion.

Green said a combination of provincial tax breaks and generous rental subsidies offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency should help.

FEMA sent letters Monday to 13,000 short-term rental operators across Maui, informing them that the agency would offer to pay them the same rent they earned for their units the previous year, Green said.

Additionally, the Maui County Council is currently considering legislation for property tax breaks promoted by the mayor.

“So there's no reason at all for people not to seize this opportunity, provided they want to be a useful part of the solution,” Green said.

Green said he aims to provide temporary housing for two years with these measures while more housing is built on Maui.

“So we really only need about 10 percent, maybe 12 percent of all the available short-term units on Maui,” he said.

On Thursday, the governor said 6,297 residents were still living in hotels, more than four months after the fire destroyed their homes.

A destroyed junkyard in Lahaina. According to Green, between 12,000 and 14,000 units are currently legally rented short-term on Maui.

People stand outside a burned down affordable housing complex in Lahaina. The Maui County Council is also considering legislation for property tax breaks for owners who convert

Ideally, officials could rent out an entire building or timeshare property, he said.

FEMA will pay for units rented to approximately 2,000 families. The state of Hawaii and private philanthropists will pay rent for the remaining 1,000 families who are undocumented or citizens of the so-called Compact of Free Association states and who do not qualify for FEMA assistance, Green said.

He did not have an estimate of how much this would cost, but said it would depend on how many rental properties become available.

The governor plans to announce details of his new budget proposals at a news conference Monday.

On December 11, the heart of Lahaina reopened to residents and businesses holding day passes. Although authorities recommend that people entering scorched plots wear protective clothing to protect them from hazards.