President Donald Trump on Tuesday approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii County, making the Big Island eligible for federal assistance to clean up and rebuild after the devastation from Hurricane Lala.

Read more Water Board updated about restoration of service in Ka‘u

Lala was a Category 1 hurricane as it moved just off the southern end of Hawaii Island Aug. 15-16, then passed farther south of the smaller islands as a strong tropical storm. It left behind an estimated $81.4 million in damage to the state, mostly on the Big Island, but also on Oahu and Maui.

Two people were killed and hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in the Ka‘u district.

The costs from the storm’s destruction are expected to grow as crews continue to conduct damage assessments and receive reports.

FEMA officials said Trump’s authorization allows it to coordinate the federal government’s Lala disaster response.

“Mahalo to President Trump, Secretary Mullin and our federal partners for acting quickly on Hawaii’s request,” said Gov. Josh Green in a statement. “This approval gives us access to specialized personnel, equipment and technical support that will help protect our communities, restore essential services and address the urgent needs created by Tropical Cyclone Lala. We will continue working side by side with our federal, county and community partners until every affected neighborhood is safely on the road to recovery and healing.”

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency teams will continue to be on Hawaii Island and — tentatively until Sept. 1 — and the “Ka‘u region may require more time to assess because of significant damages,” HI-EMA spokesperson Kiele Amundson wrote in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Read more Garrett Mitchell leads Brewers’ bats in win over Mariners

Hawaii Island so far estimates its damage to private and public structures and buildings at $49.3 million, followed by Oahu, with $25.6 million, and by Maui County, at $6.4 million.

Agriculture operations on Hawaii Island, Maui County and Oahu reported a total of $3.4 million in damage over 79 total farms, encompassing 360 acres. About $1.3 million in damage involved “infrastructure,” followed by $913,000 in damaged or destroyed crops, $777,000 worth of machinery, and $32,000 in livestock damage.

On Oahu, officials said one structure was destroyed, 27 had major damage, 368 had minor damage and 256 were “affected.”

FEMA lists “major” structural damage as requiring “extensive repairs or damage from flood waters when the waterline is at or above the electrical outlets in an essential living space in a conventionally built home, or when the waterline enters the living space of a manufactured home.”

Minor damage is characterized as “repairable, non-structural damage to … a conventionally built home, or when the waterline is in the floor system of a manufactured home.”

Read more Hawaii’s kindergarten vaccination rates drop across the board

Properties that are “affected” are safe to occupy.