The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that certain Leilani Estates residents may qualify for one month of rental assistance upon reinspection of their properties.

Leilani residents who live in Hawaii County’s voluntary evacuation zone west of Pomaikai Street are encouraged to ask FEMA to reinspect their properties if they were denied rental assistance the first time, according to a news release.

FEMA said due to locally imposed entry checkpoints, previous efforts to inspect the properties to verify damage may have been prevented. Residents can request a reinspection — not to be confused with an appeal — to determine whether damage, loss or habitability conditions have changed at their properties.

Leilani Estates residents can request reinspections at the Disaster Recovery Center, which is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays at Keaau High School gym.

MAUI

3 visitors rescued after drifting at sea along Papalaua

A father and his two sons escaped injury after being swept out to sea at Papalaua Beach Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The Maui Fire Department and Coast Guard collaborated to rescue the three people — a 45-year-old man and two boys ages 10 and 14 — who were initially spotted floating on a surfboard and bodyboards roughly 1 mile offshore.

A Coast Guard vessel picked up the three and transferred them to a Maui County Ocean Safety Jet Ski unit, which returned them to shore.

The father and sons were identified as visitors from the mainland.

The incident was first reported at 1:40 p.m., when ocean conditions were choppy and winds were measured at 25 to 20 miles per hour.