The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Maui County, recently announced a shift in the island's post-wildfire recovery phase. As reported by Maui County, the debris call center set up to handle the aftermath of the devastating 2023 wildfires has closed, effective November 14, 2025.
With the call center's closure, residents looking for information will have to turn to Maui County's recovery website. According to Mayor Richard Bissen, "We’ve made incredible strides in restoring our community, and while the TDS restoration is nearing completion, our work is far from done," as noted by County of Maui. He expressed gratitude for the arduous work of USACE, FEMA, and their partners in bringing relief and rebuilding to the community.
In addition to the call center's closure, the Temporary Debris Storage site's infrastructure is coming down, signaling the end of a critical chapter in the island's recovery. On November 10, USACE completed the disassembly of TDS infrastructure, including liners, leachate systems, and the operations layer. The temporary traffic management along key routes like Honoapi‘ilani Highway and Pūlehu Road, used to manage safe debris transport, has also been taken down.
Furthermore, LTC Adrian Biggerstaff of the USACE Honolulu District Commander shared his pride in the joint effort to support Maui's recovery, pointing out the collaboration's role in showcasing strong federal, state, and local partnerships. USACE will also be present at a community meeting on December 3, 2025, to update the public on the TDS's restoration process. This appearance is said to be USACE's final at such meetings for this particular mission, marking another step toward normalcy for the island community.
