Council to Consider $5M Amendment for Emergency Repairs at ʻĪao

Emergency Council Meeting. Maui Now.

The Maui County Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m as they consider a bill to amend the Fiscal Year 2017 budget relating to its emergency fund.

The consideration comes following a severe flooding event at ʻĪao in September that resulted in millions of dollars in damage to public facilities and private property along the Wailuku River.

As a result of the flooding event, the County of Maui has undertaken restoration and cleanup efforts that has resulted in an expenditure of funds, pursuant to an emergency proclamation, that was not anticipated for the FY 2017 budget.

The request states that in order for the County to continue remediation efforts, an amendment is needed to the FY 2017 budget.  The bill specifically sets aside $5 million in County funds for the ongoing work.

County officials say that without immediate additional funding to undertake further restorative efforts, an imminent peril to the public health, safety, or welfare exists and will continue to exist until restoration and cleanup efforts are completed.

There was an Emergency Proclamation issued by Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and a Presidential Disaster Declaration was approved for federal assistance last week, with authorities referring to the event as a 100-year-flood.

There are records of a “100 Year Flood” that occurred in January of 1916. That event killed 13 people, left an estimated 250 people homeless, and destroyed 50-75 homes according to archived records of The Maui News. During that time, they did not have the same infrastructure that is in place today.