FEMA approves $15M for Maui wildfire mitigation work, nearly $1.4M for Kauaʻi storm repairs

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved $15 million to help the state manage hazard mitigation applications after the 2023 Maui wildfires and nearly $1.4 million for Kauaʻi County to make permanent repairs from storms in April 2018, the agency announced as part of a more than $226 million disaster funding package.

The Maui money comes through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which funds projects meant to reduce damage from future disasters, according to the agency. FEMA said the funding is for administering and managing hazard mitigation sub-applications in the aftermath of the wildfires. It did not say which state or county agency will administer the funds or how much of the work will take place in Maui County.

The Kauaʻi award goes to the county’s Department of Public Works through FEMA’s Public Assistance program. FEMA said the money covers permanent repairs needed after severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that affected Hawaiʻi in April 2018.

The full package covers California, Hawaiʻi, Nevada and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. FEMA said it includes:

• Public Assistance: More than $156 million for repairs to critical infrastructure and public buildings, road work and reimbursement of public health and safety costs. The largest single award, more than $141 million, went to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for suppression of the 2024 Park Fire.
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program: More than $70 million in two states and one territory. Beyond the Maui award, FEMA listed more than $54 million for Rancho Palos Verdes, California, to buy and demolish 27 homes damaged by the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide, and more than $800,000 for generators at a health center on Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Individual Assistance: About $267,000 in grants for the Northern Mariana Islands, including disaster unemployment assistance.

FEMA said it works directly with states on hazard mitigation projects, in line with its principle that disaster recovery should be state-led and federally supported. The agency, which announced the awards from its Oakland office, said the approvals reflect President Donald Trump’s push to reform federal disaster support.