$3 Mln In 'Quick Release' Emergency Relief Funding For Maui Wildfire Victims

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced the immediate disbursal of $3 million in “quick release” (QR) Emergency Relief (ER) funds to offset costs associated with traffic management services and repairs to infrastructure needed as a result of damage caused by wildfires in Lahaina on the island of Maui earlier this month.

“The nation watched with broken hearts as wildfires took lives and livelihoods in Maui – and the nation will stand with Maui as it rebuilds,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This emergency funding will help residents get transportation networks?back up and running with traffic signal replacements, erosion control, guardrails, and more – and we will continue work to protect communities against these increasingly frequent climate disasters.” ?

“The quick release funding we are providing today will help emergency service personnel, police, and other first responders obtain the equipment needed for traffic management in Lahaina and the surrounding area, as well as resources for repairs to infrastructure in the future,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt.

The funding announced Monday will be used for various items that will aid in recovery or to replace damaged infrastructure, including traffic signals; erosion control of damaged areas; signs; guardrails; jersey barriers to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians and workers; and traffic management services by the police.

Wildfires that started on August 8 and moved quickly across the island of Maui have ravaged the historic town of Lahaina. Nearly 99 people have died, making this the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in five years.

The multiple, simultaneous wildfires have caused widespread catastrophic damage and left hundreds of people missing, as per the Maui Police Department.

On Monday, the President and First Lady Jill Biden visited Lahaina and met with emergency responders, survivors, community members, as well as federal, state, and local officials, and surveyed the area devastated by the deadly wildfires.

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