(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi County officials say they are adding weekend help for residents applying for federal disaster assistance following the May 22nd earthquake in South Kona.
Residents have until November 1 to apply for federal aid, which is available from both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to the State of Hawaiʻi, the May 22nd earthquake affected 313 homes in Hawaiʻi County, including 18 destroyed and 92 with major damage. “A comprehensive monetary estimate for public infrastructure damage has not been determined, although the Department of Transportation estimates approximately $1.5 million in highway costs,” the office of the Governor reported in September.
The new Community Resource Center, or CRC, will be open on Sundays in South Kona.
From the County of Hawaiʻi:
The new CRC will be open from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays at the Pure Kona Green Market, held at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Māmalahoa Highway in Captain Cook. The CRC is staffed by representatives from FEMA and SBA who can answer questions about the application process.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for residents to get assistance, and we thank the market organizers for making this space available,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “While visiting a CRC is not necessary to apply for disaster relief, representatives are there to help you through the process.”
More than $1.5 million in federal disaster assistance has been approved for Hawai‘i Island residents who sustained damages in the earthquake. More than 300 applications have been filed so far, but the County initially received more than 600 damage reports.
“We also want to remind residents that simply reporting damage is not enough to apply for federal aid,” Mayor Alameda said. “They still need to apply for the funds if they want to qualify for federal assistance to address earthquake damage.”
FEMA Individual Assistance may cover temporary housing assistance, repairs, personal property and other expenses related to the earthquake that were not covered by insurance or other assistance.
SBA offers low-interest disaster assistance loans for property damage to qualified property owners and renters, with terms of as much as 30 years to repay and no payments due for the first year. Businesses may also qualify for assistance if they sustained economic injury.
You do not need to apply in person for FEMA and SBA assistance.
The County added:
The established earthquake CRCs will continue to operate throughout October. Dates and times for other sites are:
- Mondays-Thursdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Yano Hall, 82-6156 Māmalahoa Highway, Captain Cook.
- Fridays from noon-4 p.m. at the Kealakekua branch of the Hawaiʻi State Library System, 81-6619 Māmalahoa Highway, Kealakekua.
To apply for FEMA aid, you also may:
- Complete an online application at disasterassistance.gov.
- Call the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362, available daily from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. HST.
To apply for SBA assistance, you also may:
- Complete an application online at lending.sba.gov
- Call the toll free number at (800) 659-2955
- Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
