Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

KA ‘OIHANA PILI KAUA

Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency

 

DEADLINE FOR PRIVATE NONPROFIT GROUPS, GOVERNMENTS TO
APPLY FOR DISASTER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 25

For Immediate Release: October 9, 2023                                                                                                                         Release No. 2023-0030

HONOLULU — The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has extended the deadline until October 25 for private nonprofits and government organizations seeking public assistance funding for the Hawai‘i wildfire disaster.

“The extension gives applicants, including houses of worship, two more weeks to complete their requests,” said James Barros, Administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). “Many nonprofits have been deeply involved in the disaster response but they’ve been too busy helping the people of Maui to apply for these federal funds; the extension gives them a bit more time to seek these vital resources.”

The disaster declaration covering the August 2023 wildfires in Hawai‘i authorizes Public Assistance funding to reimburse and pay for protective measures and hazard mitigation, including fire mitigation and environmental and historic preservation projects.

Private nonprofit organizations – including houses of worship and community groups – may be eligible for financial reimbursement for emergency protective measures, debris removal or restoration of certain facilities.

Eligible organizations include those that:

• Have provided services during the wildfire disaster response, or
• Want to participate in recovery/mitigation efforts, including environmental and historic preservation.

“HI-EMA is the state agency that serves as the connection between FEMA and applicants for Public Assistance funds, and our personnel can answer questions about the types of expenses and projects that may be eligible,” Barros said. “But the clock is ticking for applications.”

To learn more about FEMA Public Assistance grants, visit https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public.

To learn more about applying for Public Assistance for the Hawai‘i wildfires disaster, contact Brian Fisher with HI-EMA’s Resilience team at [email protected].

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Media contact:

Adam Weintraub
Communication Director
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency
[email protected]
808-620-5417