FEMA has approved $15 million for Hawaiʻi to administer hazard mitigation projects tied to the 2023 Maui wildfires, part of a broader $226 million federal disaster funding package. The funds are intended to cover project management and administration costs, though which agency will oversee the money has not been specified.
- The $15 million comes through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and is earmarked for managing sub-applications, not direct construction or rebuilding work.
- FEMA has not identified which state or county agency will administer the funds or confirmed how much mitigation work will occur within Maui County itself.
- Maui County Council already approved a $9.58 million FY2027 budget for the Maui Emergency Management Agency — a 132% increase — to build a dedicated hazard mitigation and wildfire risk reduction team.
- The county added six new staff positions focused on mitigation, suggesting local administrative capacity is being built to handle exactly this type of federal grant.
- The broader federal package also includes nearly $1.4 million for Kauaʻi County to complete permanent infrastructure repairs from devastating April 2018 storms.
Source: Hoodline
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