The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $2.1 million in grants to Hawaii County residents for damage suffered during the two Kona low storms that wreaked havoc statewide in March.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $2.1 million in grants to Hawaii County residents for damage suffered during the two Kona low storms that wreaked havoc statewide in March.

Those impacted by flooding, landslides, rockslides, mudslides and winds have until June 14 to apply for monetary assistance under the disaster declaration by President Donald Trump.

“We want to make sure that anybody who had damages gets a chance to apply for that federal assistance before that deadline,” said Brady Penn, regional spokesman for FEMA.

“The best way to apply is going to DisasterAssistance.gov, which is the online application portal. Another option would be calling 1 (800) 621- 3362. That’s available 24/7. People, after they register, can call that number and get an update on the status of their application, but one can also apply by going to that number.

“The third option would be pop-up support locations run through the county, state (and) nonprofits,” he continued. “They’re calling them Local Recovery Centers, and we have FEMA personnel there who can help. These personnel have laptops and can walk people who need a little extra help through the process.”

Those LRCs are at the Kealakekua and Ka‘u-Naalehu public libraries, and will be available until June 12.

The hours at Kealakekua, 88-6619 Hawaii Belt Rd., are: 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; noon-2 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. Wednesday; and noon-4 p.m. Friday.

The hours at Naalehu, 95-5669 Mamalahoa Hwy., are: 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 10 a.m.-noon and 1-6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Friday.

Both locations are closed on June 11 for Kamehameha Day, a state and county holiday.

Penn said FEMA has numerous personnel on the island who are inspecting damage done by the weather front. FEMA is assisting the rebuilding effort with two types of grants — individual assistance and public assistance.

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“Say your home was damaged, you need to do drywall or mitigate mold, things like that, that’s individual assistance. And that’s our push for people to be aware of,” he noted. “And then we have public assistance, which are, like, grants to repair washed-out roads. Local governments and nonprofits, these organizations get grants to repair critical infrastructure, stuff like that.”

According to Penn, there is a nominal $50,000 limit on grants relating to home repair, but it’s not necessarily a cap on what an individual may receive in assistance.

“There are so many different categories, depending on circumstances, that it’s really hard to say that this is the max — because there are also things like rental assistance and sheltering assistance,” Penn said. “Say, if there was mold in your home or your home was destroyed or is unlivable, FEMA might be able to help you with paying for a secondary place to live temporarily. That would fall outside of the max grant, because there are so many different programs, and these grants can cover a wide variety of losses.

“So, if you lost medication in the flooding, had medical bills because you were injured or lost your car, it’s just a wide variety of things, especially if you’re uninsured. Every case is different, but people will be able to figure out, once they go through the process, what they may be eligible for.”

Residents are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, document their damage, and take advantage of in-person support at local recovery centers if they need help with the FEMA application process.

According to an email from Hawaii County Civil Defense, 148 individual and household program grants have been approved for a total of more than $1.07 million, 64 have been approved for housing assistance for a total of more than $614,000, and there were 148 approved for what was termed “other needs assistance” totaling more than $456,000.

The county’s emergency managers said the hardest hit areas were Puna, Ka‘u and Kona and that they are working on updating their water drainage maps through the federal National Resources Conservation Service.

In addition to FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration is on hand at the LRCs with low-interest loans available to assist businesses, private nonprofit organizations and residents affected by the Kona low storms. Nonprofit and county staffers will also be on site to connect residents with helpful services, including cleanup assistance, basic supplies and other recovery support.

To apply for a loan online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

The filing deadline to submit SBA applications regarding physical damage is June 14. However, after the deadline has passed, there is a 60-day grace period in which SBA will accept applications.

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For updated information, visit Ready.Hawaii.gov.

Email John Burnett at [email protected].