(BIVN) – The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense will be conducting site visits this week, following the damaging magnitude-6.0 earthquake in South Kona on May 22, 2026.
According to a radio message issued on Monday, civil defense will be conducting the site visits along with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency as part of a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment Tuesday, June 2nd, through Thursday, June 4th.
“If you submitted a damage report to Civil Defense, we will make every effort to contact you before we visit your property,” the radio message stated. “This assessment will serve as the basis for requesting State and Federal Assistance.”
According to Mayor Kimo Alameda’s emergency proclamation, the County received over 200 damage reports, concentrated in the Districts of Kaʻū, North Kona, and South Kona. Substantial damage to residential structures and to residential, commercial, and agricultural water catchment systems was reported. The proclamation added that “the loss of water catchment capacity may create an immediate need to obtain, transport, and stage temporary water distribution for residents and businesses whose private water systems were damaged by the earthquake, and existing County resources and normal government processes may not sufficiently address this need in the time required to protect public health, safety, and welfare”.
“The scope and severity of damage to private residential structures, County facilities, and water systems across the Districts of Kaʻū, North Kona, and South Kona is such that recovery is likely to exceed the capabilities of the County acting alone,” the proclamation stated, “and may require assistance from other counties, the State, the federal government, or private entities to aid the County and its affected residents and businesses”.
Officials say they will announce what State and Federal programs are available to help residents with their damages once decisions have been made at the State and Federal levels.
