$19.7 Million in Damage, 532 Homes Impacted by April Flood

April flooding on Kauaʻi. VC: US Coast Guard / Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Verdura

The extent of damage to public and private property as the result of heavy rains and flooding on April 13-16 was substantial on the islands of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi according to Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments.

Public infrastructure assistance provides federal funding for emergency work and the repair of public property and infrastructure, while individual assistance addresses private property.

State, County, Small Business Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives performed a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment of individual private properties from Sunday, April 22, 2018 to Friday April 27, 2018.

Surveying Kaua’i Flood and Landslide Damage. PC: Governor David Ige

The JPDA team validated 532 homes impacted by the flooding and landslides, five of which are second homes. Over 115 homes were identified with sufficient damage to be classified as “destroyed” or with “major damage” by FEMA’s standards.

State, county, and FEMA representatives also completed a JPDA of public properties from Monday, April 23 to Thursday, April 26, 2018.

Total damage and emergency work across state, Kauaʻi County, and City & County of Honolulu agencies was more than $19.7 million.

The damage assessments are a snapshot in time, showing what the teams identified and for which they could provide a cost estimate. Other costs, such as the cost to remove debris from county owned roads within the City and County of Honolulu, the cost of removing green waste from beaches owned by Kauaʻi County, and the cost to the Department of Education to open a school in the isolated community on Kauaʻi’s north shore were not included.

The values provided by the JPDAs are a factor in the final determination whether Hawaii will receive a presidential declaration of a Major Disaster, and the federal aid that accompanies that declaration. For the JPDA of individual private properties, other factors besides the number of homes determined to be “destroyed” or with “major damage” will be considered, including the concentration of damages; trauma, including whether there have been a large number of injuries or deaths or a large-scale disruption of normal community functions; whether special populations are impacted, such as the elderly, low income, or the unemployed; the extent to which voluntary agencies and state and local programs can meet the needs of those affected; the extent to which the property affected is covered by insurance; and the average amount of individual assistance offered by the state.

The state’s application will now go to FEMA for review before being transmitted to the president.