Hawaii Island to Receive $30 Million in FEMA Funding to Repair Water Systems Damaged by Kilauea Eruption

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $30 million in funding to the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply to repair water systems damaged during the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

“These urgently needed repairs to water systems on Hawaii Island will help impacted communities that are still recovering from the devastation caused by the 2018 eruption of Kilauea. I will continue to advocate to ensure the County of Hawaii receives the federal assistance they need to rebuild communities,” Senator Hirono said.

Senator Hirono has worked to help Hawaii Island to recover from the eruption. Earlier this month, Senator Hirono announced that Hawaii County would receive $61 million to rebuild roads damaged during the eruption.  In March 2019, Senator Hirono pressed then-Acting Secretary Bernhardt for a commitment to rebuild Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on Hawaii Island. Two months later, Senator Hirono secured $72.3 million in the 2019 Disaster Supplemental Bill to fund both the continuation of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operations in a temporary space as well as money to construct the new HVO facility. That same month she announced that USGS Director Jim Reilly committed to rebuilding HVO on Hawaii Island. Senator Hirono also secured $21 million in additional funding to build a separate HVO field station in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

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