After being hit hard by a pair of natural disasters — Hurricane Iselle in July, followed by the June 27 lava flow — Hawaii Island’s southern district of Puna became fuel for numerous legislative bills.
Some of those measures passed, including Senate Bill 1211, which increases the expenditure ceiling on major disaster fund money from $2 million to $5 million.
Other bills, including those that would have appropriated funds for the removal of downed albizia trees and to establish an emergency ambulance service in the Puna area, died.
Sen. Russell Ruderman, D-Puna, said that overall he does not think his district received the help it deserved in its time of need. Among his greatest disappointments is the lack of emergency funding to help Puna Community Medical Center, which was forced to relocate because of the approaching lava, and two area charter schools impacted by the flow.
“There hasn’t been much tangible assistance from the state for any of those institutions, and I’m very disappointed in that,” he said.
One success, Ruderman said, is Senate Bill 589, which he introduced to address what he called the “homeowners insurance crisis” that followed the lava flow. Passed last month, it limits the total percentage of property insurance policies an insurer may non-renew in a lava zone during a state of emergency because of lava flow to 5 percent.
Gov. David Ige signed the bill into law Tuesday.
Rep. Joy San Buenaventura, D-Puna, who introduced a similar measure in the House that was ultimately deferred, agreed about its importance.
“Because we were able to fix that, hopefully the real estate market jumps back up,” she said.
While not directly related to the disasters, Ruderman and San Buenaventura agreed another major victory for Puna is the $15 million in Capital Improvement Project funding for repair and maintenance of feeder roads and alternate routes for Highway 130.
Unlike Ruderman, San Buenaventura said she thought Puna received much of what it was looking for this session, but agreed there were major disappointments, including the lack of funding for area charter schools that took a financial hit as a result of declining enrollment.
“I know they’re still hurting,” she said.
San Buenaventura added she hopes to see funds secured for the removal of albizia trees and for farmers in Puna hit hard by Iselle.
Other measures introduced this session have, if nothing else, started a conversation about what should be done to ensure the district’s 45,000 residents are kept safe.
One example is Senate Resolution 83, introduced by Ruderman and adopted last month, which requests the state Department of Transportation conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a small commercial boat harbor and small commercial airport in south Puna.
On Friday, Ige signed into law a bill that makes an emergency appropriation of $800,000 to the state Department of Health for hazard evaluation and emergency response preparedness.
Act 25, formerly Senate Bill 1118, states that DOH resources have been deployed during several high-profile events, including the hurricane and lava flow. And while the environmental response revolving fund balance is “dangerously low” because of reduced consumption of crude oil in the state, the demand for emergency response has increased.
Rep. Richard Onishi, D-Hilo, Keaau, said that while his district did not experience significant physical damage from the disasters, businesses and schools were impacted. His focus, he said, was helping the Department of Education secure funds for relocating students.
The proposed state budget includes $1 million in funding for the plans, design, construction and equipment for the transition back to Keonepoko Elementary School.
Since October, Keonepoko students, faculty and staff have been at a temporary campus in a parking lot at Keaau High School.
Email Chris D’Angelo at cdangelo@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
