FEMA denial triggers disappointment: Mayor urges governor to appeal decision

Mayor Billy Kenoi said he is “very disappointed” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision to deny the state’s request for a major disaster declaration in the wake of Tropical Storm Iselle.

“A lot of residents and families in Puna suffered catastrophic loss,” Kenoi said Thursday afternoon. “Their homes are destroyed, and we were hopeful the federal government would be helping our communities.”

He urged Gov. Neil Abercrombie to appeal FEMA’s denial “directly to President Obama.” A disaster declaration would allow some residents whose homes were damaged by Iselle to be eligible for federal assistance.

“We remain hopeful that the president will recognize that the residents of Puna need and deserve the assistance that the president and the federal government can provide them,” Kenoi said.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said in a statement she also is “deeply disappointed.”

“It was clear to me during my visit in Puna that assistance is absolutely necessary,” she said. “While this denial is a setback, it should not discourage us from seeking all other options for assisting our friends and neighbors in Puna. I will continue to work to identify the immediate next steps and pursue alternate forms of assistance, as well as work toward a long-term approach to confront the invasive albizia tree that contributed to much of the damage in Puna.”

The disaster denial came Thursday morning in a letter by FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, who stated, in part: “(I)t has been determined that the damage from this event was not of such severity and magnitude to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies.”

Abercrombie has 30 days to file an appeal of Fugate’s decision. An Abercrombie spokesman, Justin Fujioka, said Thursday the governor is “meeting with to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to figure what to do from here.”

A statement from HI-EMA, formerly known as state Civil Defense, said it is continuing “to work with federal and county officials on an application for assistance to rebuild public infrastructure.” That application, which is separate from the individual assistance request, would also go to FEMA.

FEMA assessors worked with the state and county last week to survey the damage to Big Island residences brought on by Iselle, the eye of which made landfall about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 8.

“In the request, it was 11 destroyed homes and 29 major damaged homes,” Fujioka said. “Normally, that’s far below the threshold of what they normally (consider a major disaster).”

A letter attached to the official disaster declaration request stated 50 homes sustained some sort of damage.

Kenoi said the county’s figures differed from those submitted by FEMA assessors.

“Our Office of Housing and Community Development went in with our National Guard and they did a thorough assessment,” he said. “We submitted all of the documentation. I know FEMA had different criteria. We might not have had the number of homes destroyed that fit their criteria, but we were told that other factors would be considered, such as trauma to the community, the needs of the community, socio-economic factors of the community. And we believed those other factors weighed in Puna’s favor.”

Abercrombie and Kenoi issued a joint statement late Thursday saying the state and county “are working together to gather sufficient additional information, including socio-economic data, to justify a successful appeal.”

“In the meantime, county, state and other federal agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations, are providing support under their own authorities. The state also remains eligible for a declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which will enable qualified individuals and businesses to receive low-interest loans for repairs.”

HI-EMA spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige said officials at the state agency are “disappointed but not surprised” and said Iselle caused far less damage to Big Island homes than homes in West Oahu and upcountry Maui sustained from storms and flooding in December 2008.

“If you look at, historically, when we have received Individual Assistance, you can get an idea of what FEMA is looking for in terms of scope,” Kunishige said. “They tell us there are no thresholds, but in 2008, we had more than 140 homes majorly damaged or destroyed.

“… The Individual Assistance program, they’re not looking at dollar amounts, they’re looking at the numbers of individual homes damaged or destroyed.”

In 2008, FEMA approved 698 applications for Individual Assistance and provided about $7.348 million in assistance statewide.

County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said FEMA spent Wednesday and Thursday assessing damage to public infrastructure, including parks, roads, bridges, schools and other public facilities.

“The preliminary assessments should be completed by this week for information to be included in the application for the Public Assistance (infrastructure) Program,” he said.

FEMA spokesman Casey De Shong said there’s no threshold dollar amount for infrastructure assistance but added there’s “another indicator.”

“There’s a statewide per capita amount of $1.39 (in public infrastructure damage),” he said. “So, if you multiply that by the population of the state … that’s one of the indicators that is looked out during a request.”

De Shong said insured properties and infrastructure are not eligible for FEMA benefits.

FEMA doesn’t cover agricultural losses, either, officials said. Local agriculture officials said the papaya industry alone suffered more than $50 million in damages, and coffee and macadamia nut farmers also sustained significant setbacks. Oliveira said local farmers and ranchers are working with the state to obtain assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A letter sent by Abercrombie to the president last week said the state had spent $1.3 million in response costs and “has a reported $13.2 million in damage and debris expenses.”

“This exhausts the state’s Major Disaster Fund, and the governor will move general fund dollars from other areas of the state budget to replenish the fund,” the letter stated.

Kenoi told the Tribune-Herald Sunday the county had $5 million in its disaster relief fund and had spent $1.6 million.

Oliveira said he thinks FEMA’s denial “is gonna be a difficult thing to accept if you’re a homeowner who’s affected by this because there was obviously hope some federal monies would be coming.”

“We’ll definitely be working with our volunteer and our nonprofit organizations to partner and see where we can meet the needs of the community,” he said. “We’ll also need to be prepared for any other events in the current and the future fiscal years. So, although we do have some monies, it’s gonna be a question of how we most effectively use those funds in the programs that we have.”

Added Kunishige: “There are great volunteers on the ground and we have been encouraging people to continue to make those donations to the Red Cross and the Hawaii state VOAD.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.