$1.1M reimbursed to County of Maui for emergency protective measures as a result of wildfires  

The County of Maui Department of Water Supply was reimbursed for more than $1.1 million spent on emergency protective measures as a result of wildfires. The funding is part of a larger $8.2 million in FEMA post-disaster funding approved for Public Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects in Hawai’i, Nevada, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

These programs empower states, local communities, tribes and territories to recover from disasters and to protect infrastructure from future events. The funding aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to reform federal disaster support and ensure that taxpayer money is spent only on projects that deliver safety and security to the American people.

The funding approved today includes $1.3 million under FEMA’s Public Assistance program awarded to Hawai’i and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

FEMA disburses this money to states and local communities because they are best positioned to know how these funds will be most effectively spent. The funded projects include repairs to critical infrastructure, restoration of public buildings, road repairs and reimbursement for costs incurred to ensure public health and safety after a disaster.

Examples of projects reimbursed through Public Assistance funding approved today include:

• More than $1.1 million to the County of Maui Department of Water Supply for emergency protective measures as a result of the Hawai’i wildfires.  
• More than $172,000 to Golden Harvest International School in Saipan for building repairs needed as a result of Super Typhoon Sinlaku. 

FEMA is also awarding more than $6.8 million for projects in two states that will prevent, eliminate or reduce future disaster-related damage. This money is being distributed through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Through this program, state, local or territorial governments and Tribal Nations take proactive mitigation measures such as acquiring hazard-prone homes and businesses, adopting and enforcing building codes and standards, protecting against floods through elevations and drainage improvement projects, building safe rooms and upgrading utilities and infrastructure.

Examples of projects reimbursed through Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding approved today include: 

• More than $4.6 million to Hawai’i for REHAB Hospital to fund an emergency power system with a 700-kW backup generator for the facility in the City and County of Honolulu. 
• More than $1 million to Nevada for a vegetation management project to reduce the risk of wildland fires across 220 acres along developed roadways in Palomino Valley through reducing fuel and creating defensible space.
• $1 million to Hawai’i for a statewide initiative, the Hawai’i Transportation Network Vulnerable Analysis, that uses GIS-based spatial analysis and open-source tools to assess the exposure and sensitivity of critical transportation infrastructure to natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis. 

FEMA coordinates directly with the state on all hazard mitigation projects. This aligns with FEMA’s principles of ensuring that disaster recovery and mitigation is state-led and federally supported.

These projects are the latest examples of billions of dollars in disaster recovery provided by FEMA to support state and local communities as they work to rebuild from recent natural disasters.