President approves Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaiʻi areas impacted by by Hurricane Lala

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Hawaiʻi to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Lala from Aug. 14–16, 2026. 

Federal funding assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance program is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Lala for the city and county of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi County and Maui County. 

Hirokazu Toiya has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

“We will get at least a 75%-25% split on the big damage that we had from those storms,” Gov. Josh Green said. “We fought hard for that and I’m grateful for the approvals because people around the state have worked very hard toward recovery from our multiple disasters this year. We also have funding for people who had less damage, but still really struggled and suffered from these storms and we will provide updates on applying for that assistance as details are finalized. These declarations ensure that federal disaster recovery dollars can begin flowing to Hawaiʻi and that critical resources are being made available to support affected communities.”

Green requested the expedited major disaster declaration on Sept. 9, immediately following Hurricane Lowell. He had previously obtained a Presidential Emergency Declaration after Hurricane Lala on Aug. 22, for immediate federal assistance to protect public health and safety, as well as to maintain essential services and support communities still recovering from the hurricane as Tropical Storm Moke approached. It was granted on Aug. 25.

FEMA’s Public Assistance covers such things as debris removal, restoration and mitigation of disaster-damaged public facilities and infrastructure, as well as to eligible nonprofit entities. Funding in the form of reimbursements is provided on a 75%-25% basis, with FEMA covering the larger percentage.

Requests for additional assistance are pending with FEMA, according to the Governor’s Office.

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) said recently approved presidential disaster declarations will help communities across Hawai‘i recover. Schatz led calls urging the president to quickly approve the state’s disaster declaration requests.

“Recovering from back-to-back hurricanes requires significant resources, and help is on the way. I thank the president for approving these disaster declarations which will unlock federal resources and help our state and county governments rebuild. We’re going to keep working to make sure people affected by these storms have all the support they need to recover quickly and fully.”

Preliminary damage and future resilience needs following four major disasters in Hawaiʻi in 2026 total approximately $1 billion, according to early estimates released by the governor in September. 

Estimates and recovery commitments reported by state agencies total approximately $686 million from the March Kona Low storms, the May 22 magnitude 6.0 Hawaiʻi Island earthquake, Hurricane Lala and Hurricane Lowell. The state has also identified at least $319 million in proposed resilience and mitigation projects to strengthen critical infrastructure and prepare Hawaiʻi for future disasters.

The figures are preliminary and are subject to reconciliation as damage assessments and federal eligibility reviews continue. Residential, agricultural, utility and business losses have not been fully calculated.