Big Island businesses await disaster aid after storms, quake damage

Hawaii County has finished property damage assessments for the May 22 magnitude-6.0 Kona earthquake, covering 140 commercial properties, including 41 agricultural properties, in the Kona and South Kona districts. Big Island businesses and property owners were still waiting on Gov. Josh Green to decide whether Hawaii would seek a presidential disaster declaration before the July 21 deadline. Recovery from the March Kona Low storms and the quake has stretched into a second round of damage.

Federal Emergency Management Agency crews visited South Kona in mid-June, and the U.S. Small Business Administration had logged 232 applications for physical damage and economic injury loans by June 30, with 62 approved for a total of $3,481,600.

Hawaii Coffee Company’s Royal Kona Coffee Center closed after quake damage, and four of its seven employees were laid off, including the manager and assistant manager.

Green issued a proclamation on June 5 after the quake struck at about 9:46 p.m. on May 22, and the shaking caused extensive damage across Kaū, North Kona and South Kona. On June 17, FEMA, HI-EMA and Hawaii County were conducting a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment to determine the full impact.

The March 10-24 Kona Low flooding event was federally declared a major disaster on April 7, and residents who missed the June 14 individual-assistance registration deadline could still be considered if they showed good cause. The state also created an Emergency Farmer Relief Program on March 23, offering one-time $1,500 grants to farms, ranches and businesses affected by the storms, with $500,000 authorized and applications prioritized if filed by March 27. Emergency agricultural loans of up to $100,000 at 3% interest could be activated if the Hawaii Board of Agriculture approved the request.