Hawai'i Public Radio

Trump approves federal disaster declaration for Hawaiʻi after Kona low storm damages

A damaged home sits among flood debris in Waialua, Hawaiʻi, on March 23, 2026.(Spc. Daniel Barcenas / DVIDS) The Trump administration announced that federal disaster assistance is available to help with recovery efforts following two Kona low storm systems that hit last month. Last week, Gov. Josh Green signalled that aid was coming, and today he thanked President Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for acting quickly to approve the request. He added this “immediately unlocks” federal resources to “support response and long-term recovery.” FEMA says federal funding is available to affected individuals in the City and County of Honolulu, as well as Hawaiʻi and Maui counties. That includes recovery efforts from severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that took place from March 10 to 24. Green estimated that the first damage assessment following the storms was likely to be over a billion dollars. In a written statement, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz thanked President Trump for approving the request, adding, “FEMA has been a supportive partner in this process, and this new declaration will mean more federal resources to help people recover and rebuild.” FEMA said funds can cover temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and families recover from the disaster. If you want to apply for this assistance, you should first file with your insurance provider and then apply for assistance online, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, provide FEMA the number for that service. Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, limited to Categories C-F. Andrew F. Grant has been named the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the area. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.