Officials assess flood damage in Maui County

County, state and federal officials will be assessing flood damage across Maui County today to help get the ball rolling on federal assistance for impacted communities.

Teams comprised of staff from the state, the City and County of Honolulu, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration conducted joint preliminary assessments of damage to private property in Honolulu on Monday, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The teams will conduct similar assessments in Maui County today to document and validate damage and impact.

FEMA offers a number of relief programs, including the Public Assistance Program, which provides public infrastructure assistance to repair public property and infrastructure, and the Individual Assistance Program, which addresses private property.

The assessments conducted this week are the required starting point for obtaining federal assistance through the Individual Assistance Program, according to HIEMA. If the damage and impact assessments are adequate, the governor will request a presidential major disaster declaration through FEMA.

However, if the damage does not qualify for the Individual Assistance Program, other federal programs and volunteer organizations may be available to help, HIEMA said.

Organizations or individuals offering resources to help with the recent incidents can visit the Kokua Offers Application portal at bit.ly/3rdfvW7.

Maui County residents can submit damage reports by visiting mauicounty.gov and clicking on “Report Related Damages Flood Event” or by calling the Maui Emergency Management Agency at 2707285.