(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi lawmakers in Congress are urging President Trump to approve Governor Josh Green’s request for a presidential disaster declaration following the May 2026 magnitude-6.0 earthquake in South Kona.
The elected officials say the declaration will help ensure that the affected communities in Hawaiʻi County can access important federal funding and resources to recover.
Here is the full letter from the Hawaiʻi Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i), to the President:
Dear President Trump:
We write in support of Governor Josh Green’s July 20, 2026, request that you issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawai‘i. We ask that you consider expediting all federal assistance possible to help the State recover from the impacts of a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Hawai‘i Island on May 22, 2026, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program. We appreciate your continued efforts to support Hawai‘i as we recover from multiple natural disasters.
A powerful 6.0 earthquake struck the western side of Hawai‘i Island on the evening of May 22, 2026. Centered near the Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo area, the initial seismic shock severely damaged local roadways, triggering multiple rockslides that completely blocked the highway. The earthquake also caused widespread power outages that affected roughly 1,330 utility customers and commercial agricultural operations throughout the island.
In total, state and local governments received reports of damages to 548 homes on Hawai‘i Island. The Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment evaluated 313 of these properties and determined that 110 homes either sustained major structural damage or were completely destroyed. Notably, many of the homes in the affected region are not connected to county water infrastructure and rely on rain catchment and cesspool systems for their water infrastructure. 105 homes suffered the total loss of the water catchment systems, creating a health and safety hazard for residents and potentially the broader community.
It is difficult to overstate the stress that the earthquake has placed on this community, where approximately 20 percent of the population lives at or below the poverty line, and roughly 20 percent of the general population reports having a disability. Due to the extremely high cost of earthquake insurance in this volcanically active region, only 5.2 percent of the 548 homes reporting damage have a standard homeowner’s policy, and only two homes had earthquake insurance. State and county governments are also stretched to their capacities by the successive disasters the State has faced since 2018.
To effectively respond to these needs, we support the Governor’s request for the following assistance:
• A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Hawai‘i;
• Authorization to activate the Individual Assistance Program for Hawai‘i County; and
• Authorization of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
We are grateful for your consideration of this request, and we look forward to working with your agency in the months and years ahead to help Hawai‘i recover and rebuild.
