Climate Resilience Crews

This appropriation would establish a scalable, statewide climate disaster resilience workforce that conducts vegetation management, reduces wildfire fuel loads, and maintains defensible space in high-risk areas. Crews would be trained to support both year-round mitigation and emergency readiness, expanding Hawaiʻi’s limited disaster-response capacity as climate-driven risks become more frequent and more severe. Building on recent post-wildfire recovery experience, this investment would create a Hawaiʻi-based workforce capable of addressing priority needs across islands—from hazardous-fuel reduction to community preparedness assessments. Depending on the funding level, the program could field a core crew or scale up to a larger statewide team able to deliver more comprehensive mitigation results. By protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening community readiness, this initiative advances statewide climate adaptation and hazard-resilience goals.