FEMA finishes Puna home survey: But approval of federal relief in wake of Iselle could be more than week away

Workers performing a preliminary damage assessment for the Federal Emergency Management Agency completed Tuesday surveying homes in Puna hit hard by Tropical Storm Iselle.

However, approval of federal relief could be a week or more away, as FEMA must also perform an assessment of damage to public infrastructure such as roads and bridges. That work is not scheduled to begin until next week, according to state Civil Defense.

“We went to several different areas (Tuesday), including Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Shores, Nanawale and Fern Forrest,” said FEMA assessor Jennifer Amaral.

The team, which included a representative from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the County of Hawaii and the state Emergency Management Agency completed its work assessing damage to homes and residential areas about 1 p.m.

“The information that’s been gathered, the governor will take that and, should he make a request to the president for disaster declaration, it would be included in there,” said Casey De Shong, a FEMA spokesman.

FEMA officials refused to release data on their preliminary findings, directing requests for the information to state and county emergency management representatives. State Civil Defense spokeswoman Shelley Kunishige said Tuesday afternoon that the information was still being compiled.

She added that the governor would wait to submit a request to President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster after another FEMA assessment of public infrastructure damage is completed. She said that assessment would begin next week.

In a press release issued Monday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Tusli Gabbard reported spending Friday with FEMA officials and representatives of the Hawaii County Office of Housing.

“I’m urging FEMA, Hawaii County, the governor and President Obama to expedite the process of declaring Iselle’s devastation a natural disaster so that the people of Puna can receive immediate help,” said the congresswoman, whose congressional district includes all of Hawaii Island. “I’ve met with residents who have lost everything, and though they’ve shown strength, resiliency, and compassion for their neighbors, many families in Puna are looking for federal assistance to start putting their lives back together after this overwhelming storm.”

Also on Tuesday, Hawaii Electric Light Co. crews continued their work to restore power to the remaining 1,200 customers who have been without electricity since Tropical Storm Iselle. In a release issued shortly after noon, the utility reported an additional 300 customers regained service on Monday.

“Significant progress has been made in Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Paradise Park,” the release stated. “Pockets of customers within these areas may still be out of power. Customers in those areas who are still without power should report it by calling 969-6666.”

On Tuesday, HELCO crews were focused on Nanawale Estates, Lanipuna Gardens, Leilani Estates and Kapoho.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience as we make progress. In some neighborhoods, although main power lines have been restored, individual outages may need to be addressed home by home,” said HELCO spokesman Darren Pai.

According to a press release, even if customers don’t see crews in their area, HELCO advised that work is being done to restore power in those communities. In many cases, additional work on the electric system is needed in other locations to restore service.

“Although crews are making progress and restoration in many areas may be much faster, estimates indicate it could take approximately another two weeks — and in some cases, even longer — to restore power to the areas with the most significant damage. Actual restoration times for each location will depend on the extent of the damage,” the release stated.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.