Requests for more street lighting and road reflectors along Honoapiilani Highway and a better drainage system in south Lahaina were among the issues raised during a recent community meeting in West Maui.

The meeting was held to discuss the impacts from two recent kona storms, which came with flooding and high winds that caused widespread damage across Maui County, including to portions of South Maui, Iao Valley, Upper Kula, East Maui and Lahaina.

In Lahaina, the historic Baldwin House, which was undergoing restoration after the 2023 wildfire, suffered a partial collapse following the storms.

The monthly community meeting, conducted by the Maui County officials at the Lahaina Intermediate School on April 1, informed residents about various services available for the storm cleanup and also to encourage residents and businesses to file damage reports not only for insurance purposes but also for seeking federal disaster aid.

County officials said the deadline for filing federal relief damage reports with the county is April 15. Information on filing is available at mauirecovers.org.

The website includes advice for how to sort through storm debris and various services available for pickup and drop off, as well as volunteers helping some seniors in cleaning their homes.

A West Maui resident said some roads in West Maui were dark at night and difficult to drive, especially during the recent storms, including parts of Honoapiilani Highway, the main thoroughfare running through West Maui.

“We’re in the dark,” said the resident, who also suggested using solar-powered street lights. “You need to go inspect that.”

Another West Maui resident said while driving home during the storm, there were no road reflectors on Honoapiilani Highway that she could see near the intersection at the West Maui commuter airport.

“When I actually pulled up to the airport intersection, I ended up in the left hand turn lane,” the other resident said. “I could not tell which lane I was even in.”

Hawaiian Electric official Shayna Decker said she was grateful for people letting them know about requests for street lights and her company has a form that can be filled out by people requesting a street light.

“It takes a lot of different requests, but we definitely want to talk to you, and we encourage everyone to use our street light form,” said Decker, director of Hawaiian Electric’s government and community affairs for Maui County.

Responding to the need for more street lights and reflective markets, Bissen said, “It sounds like you had to get from point A to point B, and that’s understandable,” but he said the comments about the lack of lighting and road conditions confirmed the need to keep off the highways during storms because of dangerous conditions.

“When you’re in these conditions, you’re not going to be able to see the road,” he said.

“I’m surprised you could even drive through the water, much less see the road. So please, the lesson from here is don’t drive unless you absolutely have to, please.”

Lahaina resident Karen Comcowich asked what the county is doing to ensure Lahaina doesn’t have greater flooding risks in the future after more of the town has been rebuilt.

West Maui resident Patrick Sullivan said he was interested in what the county planned near his family property on Wainee Street that flooded from runoff from a retention basin mauka of Honoapiilani Highway.

County Public works director Jordan Molina said his department is working on a watershed plan that would capture a lot of runoff above Lahainaluna Road through recently acquired land.

The watershed project, linked to existing county land, is part of the purchase of 162 acres in Lahaina for $20 million to help in post-wildfire redevelopment.

The land is located on the mauka of Mill Street, makai of the Lahaina Bypass, between Kauala Stream and Lahainaluna Road.

Bissen confirmed the land acquisition, but declined to provide details, saying his administration still needs to discuss the plan with the Maui County Council, and it would require rezoning and public meetings since the lands are included as agricultural.

“It’s in the planning phase,” he said. “I can’t confirm for you that this is going to happen or is not going to happen.”

The Maui County form to request fixing street lights is available at tinyurl.com/mu96w5sy.

Decker said to ask for a new streetlight, residents may send a request to the state Department of Transportation if it’s a state highway or Maui County public works if it’s a county road.

Residents can go to the Maui County Department of Public Works website at mauicounty.gov/publicworks and click on the “Street Light Application” link. If someone would like to request review of the lighting on a state highway, they can submit a written request to DOTPAO@hawaii.gov.

State transportation officials said work is scheduled for July on replacing pavement markers on Honoapiilani Highway near the commuter airport in West Maui.