Hirono, Hawaiʻi delegation urge FEMA to reopen Disaster Response Program to include COFA citizens

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) along with Hawaiʻi colleagues, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI), and Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator, Deanne Criswell, to reopen the enrollment for the Individuals and Households Program to include Compacts of Free Association (COFA) citizens.

The Individuals and Households Program is one of the many FEMA disaster response programs that have been used to support Maui communities as they continue to recover after the devastating wildfires. 

“In Hawaiʻi, we continue to work toward recovery from the devastating wildfires on Maui that occurred in August 2023,” the lawmakers wrote. “COFA citizens are very much a part of the community impacted by the wildfires, but have only been able to access assistance through non-federal pathways up until this point.”

In the letter, the lawmakers note that a provision Sen. Hirono secured in the recently passed COFAs—which were signed into law last week by President Biden—enables COFA citizens to be eligible for FEMA programs, such as the IHP. The IHP provides financial and direct services to eligible individuals and households impacted by a disaster.

According to FEMA, IHP assistance may include financial assistance for temporary housing; a temporary housing unit; funds to support repair or replacement of homes; hazard mitigation assistance; or funds for uninsured or under-insured disaster-caused expenses. 

“Allowing COFA citizens impacted by the Maui wildfires to be eligible for FEMA support will give them access to the most centralized and comprehensive recovery resources available from the federal government, and will put them on a more stable path to rebuilding their lives,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite being lawful, taxpaying residents in the United States, for decades COFA citizens have been denied access to the programs their tax dollars support. In a time of need, we ask that you use any means available to ensure they are given an equal shot at recovering from this tragedy.”

The full text of the letter is available here.