Governor seeks disaster declaration

Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a request Thursday for a presidential disaster declaration for individual assistance for Hawaii island to pay for damage caused by Tropical Storm Iselle.

The governor also asked the federal government to expedite the request due to the large economic impact on the Puna area, said Shelly Kunishige, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Kunishige pointed to the last Hawaii disaster in which such a declaration was made, which was for storms and flooding in December 2008.

In that case, then Gov. Linda Lingle sent the request for a declaration on Dec. 24, and the disaster declaration was received Jan. 5, she said, taking less than two weeks.

Joint assessment teams made up of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and county personnel were on Hawaii island assessing the damage, but have left the island.

If the disaster declaration is made, each household would be taken on a case-by-case basis, and FEMA will send out caseworkers, Kunishige said.

Meanwhile, residents who did not get a visit should document damage caused by the storm by taking photographs, and keep a record of expenses incurred now to fix homes, Kunishige said.

Residents aren’t expected to wait for help to begin repairs, she said.

Also, if residents seek shelter at hotels or elsewhere where they paid money, they should keep receipts for possible reimbursement.

If Hawaii gets the individual assistance declaration, FEMA will open disaster recovery centers, and set up phone numbers and a website so affected households can apply for assistance.

It may take two more weeks to restore power to about 800 customers, Hawaii Electric Light Co. said. It estimates 99 percent of the island’s customers have power.

Electric service was restored to 300 customers Thursday in Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots, left in the dark after the storm.

Customers still without power should report their outage by calling 969-6666.

For updates on Iselle, go to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency website at scd.hawaii.gov.