FEMA approves $2.1 million for Hawaii County storm recovery grants

FEMA has approved more than $2.1 million in storm recovery grants for Hawaii County residents, but the money is still coming in as relatively modest checks against losses that reached far beyond many households’ budgets. Hawaii County Civil Defense said 148 Individual and Households Program grants had been approved for more than $1.07 million, 64 housing-assistance grants totaled more than $614,000, and 148 other-needs-assistance grants added up to more than $456,000.

Taken together, the numbers show the scale of the immediate help and the limits of it. The 148 Individual and Households Program grants average about $7,300 each, while the housing-assistance awards average about $9,600 apiece. The other-needs grants average about $3,100. FEMA says that aid is meant for uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs, not as a replacement for insurance, which means many survivors still have to piece together repairs, claims and other payments on their own.

That gap matters on Hawaii Island, where early estimates put statewide damage and economic loss from the two Kona low storms at around $2 billion, while one Hawaii Island assessment put local damage at more than $59 million. The federal disaster is listed as DR-4909-HI, covering the March 10 to March 24 incident period, and the Major Disaster Declaration was issued April 7 after Gov. Josh Green requested federal help on March 24.

Individual Assistance was opened for the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii County and Maui County, giving homeowners and renters until June 14 to apply. FEMA also said applicants can update their files later if their situation changes, a crucial detail for families still waiting on repair estimates, insurance responses or contractor bids.

Hawaii County Civil Defense said FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration staff were available at recovery centers in places including Keaau and Kealakekua. Those sites, along with local partners such as Vibrant Hawaii and Goodwill Hawaii, have become part of the longer recovery process as survivors work through paperwork, loans, vouchers and case-management help.

For many Big Island households, the grants approved so far are a down payment on recovery, not the finish line. The storms passed in March, but the financial aftermath is still moving through the county one application at a time.