Hawaii receives $120 million in disaster relief, more to come

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Workers and heavy construction equipment clear mud and debris from the road to Wainiha as it is blocked by landslides due to flooding. This heavy equipment is shoveling mud and debris from literally the end of the road. On the left side is Kuhio Hwy that they have cleared and on the right is the blocked road to Waihiha.

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Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii island cumulatively have received more than $120 million in federal aid for disasters since April and more money is on the way, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Wednesday.

The $64 million for flooding on Kauai and Oahu, and more than $56 million to help Hawaii County recover from the Kilauea eruption was part of $1.7 billion worth of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding that the House approved on Wednesday, Schatz said.

The money will help provide relief for disasters across the country, including flooding in the Carolinas and wildfires in the West.

For Hawaii, Schatz said, “It’s really good news. This money will land at the county level. The counties will make a determination on how best to spend it. They’re the closest to the problems. It’s important for them to get the money and decide how to spend it.”

The legislation heads next to the Senate, where it is expected to easily pass, according to Schatz.

The Hawaii senator, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he is working with federal, state and county officials to ensure that the counties make a strong application to receive the maximum amount of funding.

Schatz called the first round of funding a “down payment.” He could not say how much more money the counties can expect or when it is likely to arrive.

But, he said, it’s “what we hope will be larger numbers.”

Schatz said the specific type of block grant funding is designed to give counties lots of spending leeway.

“It’s extremely flexible for the counties as they see fit,” Schatz said. “It’s really the most flexible money out there in allowing states and counties to recover.”

U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa also supported the funding legislation in the House.

“The people of Hawai‘i have been hit especially hard by natural disasters this year — from major flooding and landslides on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu in April, the volcanic eruptions on Hawai‘i Island, and the recent flooding and wildfires on multiple islands related to Tropical Storm Lane,” Gabbard said in a press release. “This funding is essential to communities like ours that have been challenged in so many ways, with very limited resources to help with relief, recovery, and rebuilding.”

Communities in Hawaii have been particularly hard hit this year, said Hanabusa. “People have lost homes and businesses and are working to rebuild and restore some semblance of normalcy to their lives,” she said. “We are working with our state and county partners to ensure every federal resource is available to help with the recovery. We would like to thank our colleagues for reaching this important bipartisan compromise.”