#Kona low storm

Park Maui, a parking program to prioritize Hawai‘i residents, will launch in Kīhei at Kama‘ole Beach Parks I and III (paved lots only) starting Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance for the March 10–24, 2026 Kona Low flooding has passed. However, FEMA and its partners want impacted residents in the City and County of Honolulu, and Hawaiʻi and Maui counties to know that support continues and, in some circumstances, late applications may still be considered.

The state water commission says the work done by residents to move rocks with excavators and redirect the Wailuku River was in line with emergency rules.

Eligible individuals will receive a minimum of $346 and up to $868 for the weeks beginning March 15, 2026, through the week ending Oct. 10, 2026. The deadline to file a DUA claim is June 15, 2026, which is 60 days from the federal disaster declaration.

Survivors of the March 10–24, 2026 Kona Low flooding in the City and County of Honolulu, as well as Hawaiʻi and Maui counties can receive in-person assistance from FEMA and the US Small Business Administration at Local Recovery Centers operated by state, local and nonprofit partners. The deadline to apply for federal assistance is June 14, 2026.  

The Lahainaluna High School Foundation marked its 25th year of awarding scholarships on April 30, presenting $167,000 in awards to students and alumni despite a year that brought both the lingering aftermath of the August 2023 wildfires and flooding from the February 2026 Kona low storm.

The County Department of Public Works’ pursuit of emergency federal funding and the complexity of repairs are shaping the timeline for permanent restoration of South Kīhei Road near Kamaʻole Beach Park II, where a sinkhole forced the closure of both lanes during severe weather in March.

Storm repair work is temporarily paused on South Kīhei Road between Ohukai Road and Kūlanihākoʻi Street pending the delivery of materials, according to the County of Maui Department of Public Works Highways Division.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in Kīhei, Kailua-Kona and Waialua to assist businesses, private nonprofit organizations and residents affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring March 10 – 24.

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announced facility closures in West Maui and in Central Maui.

One month after the kona low storms, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation announced the first round of more than 20 grants to nonprofit organizations statewide from the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, deploying more than $650,000 to nonprofits supporting communities facing over $2 billion in statewide damage. 

Council Chair Alice L. Lee reminded Maui County residents that the county’s new water-conservation ordinance took effect last month, emphasizing that responsible water use remains critical despite recent heavy rainfall.

During an Appropriations Subcommittee oversight hearing on the US Department of Health and Human Services’ budget request, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured a commitment from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to support Hawaiʻi’s recovery efforts following the kona low storms that caused flooding across the state.

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens, a County of Maui park at the base of ‘Īao Valley State Monument, remains closed to the public due to safety hazards while storm-related repairs are underway.

With another storm system bearing down on the Hawaiian Islands, the Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee focused its fiscal year 2027 review Wednesday on addressing emergency resilience and the future of the island’s water infrastructure.

A winter and spring of record-setting rainfall in Hawaiʻi likely is linked to record-breaking heat on the U.S. West Coast, the National Weather Service said.

While the first storm (March 10–16) brought hurricane-force wind gusts of 135.4 mph to Hawaiʻi Island and up to 62 inches of rain to Maui, the second kona storm between March 19 and 23 triggered a new wave of devastation. The second storm dumped up to 61 inches of rain in localized areas, producing destructive floods across eastern and central Molokaʻi, West Maui and Oʻahu.

The County of Maui Department of Public Works is restricting general public access to Kapaʻakea Cemetery in Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi, following significant impacts from the March 2026 kona low storms.

Eight of the nine residents at Kula Hospital’s Hale Makamae, a facility for developmentally disabled individuals, had to be moved off island.

Lahaina residents returned the favor after the Moloka’i community was among the first to respond with boatloads of emergency supplies after the fires.