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Hawaiʻi has experienced historic flooding, caused by back-to-back "Kona low" storms that dumped record-breaking rainfall across the islands. Thousands of tons of debris are being cleared from flood zones, a process expected to take several weeks. Governor Josh Green has estimated total damages could exceed $1 billion, and has called on the Trump administration to issue a major disaster declaration.
FEMA, which has seen significant staff cuts since Trump took office in January 2025, has said its disaster response and recovery efforts in Hawaiʻi have not been impacted by the partial government shutdown that began in February and has now become the longest in U.S. history. It has recently reinstated a program that provides grant to states, local governments, territories, and tribes for infrastructure-focused, pre-disaster hazard mitigation, following a order from a federal judge. In early March 2026, Hawaiʻi was set to receive $13.4 million in FEMA funding to modernize the Waiānuenue Avenue Bridge through this program, which followed an initial $1.5 million grant awarded to the project in 2021. Green and the state have been involved in critical negotiations with the Trump administration over new lease agreements for approximately 30,000 acres of state-owned land used by the U.S. military. Land leases, which include the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi island, are set to expire in August 2029. Federal officials have pushed Green to find a way forward on new agreements by the end of the year, but state officials want to codify more favorable terms for environmental sustainability and cultural stewardship and preservation. Several Hawaiʻi-based organizations are stepping in to provide relief and recovery efforts. Here is a partial list: Lāhui Foundation Hawaiʻi Food Bank Hawaiian Council Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United ʻĀina Momona Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Mālama Kula 808 Cleanups Aloha United Way Comments are closed.
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