#disaster assistance

Effective Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, operational hours will be modified for the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center. 

FEMA will pause operations at the Lahaina Disaster Recovery Center on Maui and the FEMA Helpline on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Even though the federal deadline to apply for wildfire damage or losses has passed, Hawaiʻi residents and businesses have been granted a 45-day grace period, until Thursday, Jan. 25, to submit SBA loan applications for physical property damage caused by the wildfires. The last day for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations to apply for an SBA economic injury disaster loan is Friday, May 10, 2024.

The US Small Business Administration acts as a vital source for low-interest disaster loans for Maui wildfire survivors, covering losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Homeowners and renters who were affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui now have until Thursday, Nov. 9, to apply for federal disaster assistance from FEMA and submit an application for a disaster loan from the US Small Business Administration. 

FEMA and the US Small Business Administration have approved more than $89.25 million in federal assistance to survivors of the Maui wildfires that began Aug. 8. The last day to register for Red Cross sheltering assistance is Friday, Sept. 15. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance and a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration is Tuesday, Oct. 10. Residents who lost their job as a direct result of the Maui wildfires and live or work in Maui County have until Monday, Sept. 25, to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

Hawaiʻi residents who registered for FEMA assistance for the wildfires that began sweeping across Maui Aug. 8 will receive a determination letter from FEMA. In some cases, the letter may say you are ineligible for assistance. FEMA advises that this is not a denial.

A Disaster Recovery Center will open Friday, Sept. 1, in Lahaina to help residents who were affected by the wildfires learn about local, state and federal assistance programs.

Maui residents in need of disaster assistance or who suffered the loss of personal documents during the Maui wildfires can seek help from a number of federal agencies at a resource fair on Saturday hosted by U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda.

If you sustained physical damage to your business of any size, you may be eligible for up to $2 million in Business Physical Disaster Loans for the repair or replacement of real estate, inventories, machinery, equipment and all other physical losses.  If you are a homeowner or renter, FEMA may refer you to the SBA to apply for low-interest loans to replace or repair disaster-damaged real estate and personal property including automobiles.

The hotel housing is being provided through a FEMA program, which the Red Cross is administering under a contract with the state of Hawai‘i, and those impacted by the deadly wildfires will be able to stay in hotels as long as it takes to find long-term housing solutions.

The Upcountry event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani. The Kīhei event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Kīhei Community Center.

The US Small Business Administration has approved more than $5M in loans for Hawaiʻi businesses and residents impacted by the Kīlauea eruption and earthquakes.