(BIVN) – President Donald Trump has approved two presidential disaster declarations for Hawai‘i following the impacts of Hurricane Lala and Hurricane Lowell.
The declarations will provide FEMA Public Assistance program funding in support of recovery efforts in the city and county of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi County and Maui County following Hurricane Lala (August 14-16, 2026) as well as for Kauaʻi and Maui Counties for impacts from Hurricane Lowell (September 6-9, 2026).
“Recovering from back-to-back hurricanes requires significant resources, and help is on the way,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), who urged the president to quickly approve the state’s requests. “I thank the president for approving these disaster declarations which will unlock federal resources and help our state and county governments rebuild. We’re going to keep working to make sure people affected by these storms have all the support they need to recover quickly and fully.”
“We will get at least a 75%-25% split on the big damage that we had from those storms,” said Governor Josh Green in a news release. “We fought hard for that and I’m grateful for the approvals because people around the state have worked very hard toward recovery from our multiple disasters this year. We also have funding for people who had less damage, but still really struggled and suffered from these storms and we will provide updates on applying for that assistance as details are finalized. These declarations ensure that federal disaster recovery dollars can begin flowing to Hawaiʻi and that critical resources are being made available to support affected communities.”
From the State of Hawaiʻi:
Governor Green requested the expedited MDD on September 9, immediately following Hurricane Lowell. He had previously obtained a Presidential Emergency Declaration after Hurricane Lala on August 22, for immediate federal assistance to protect public health and safety, as well as to maintain essential services and support communities still recovering from the hurricane as Tropical Storm Moke approached. It was granted on August 25.
FEMA’s Public Assistance covers such things as debris removal, restoration and mitigation of disaster-damaged public facilities and infrastructure, as well as to eligible nonprofit entities. Funding in the form of reimbursements is provided on a 75%-25% basis, with FEMA covering the larger percentage.
Requests for additional assistance are pending with FEMA.
