Kīlauea Eruption Recovery Update
The County of Hawai‘i's Disaster Recovery Division is providing this monthly update on projects and programs to support recovery and building community resilience in Puna following the 2018 eruption. Visit our Kīlauea Eruption Recovery website for more info, or follows us @kilauearecovery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Resilience Capacity Areas + Action Teams
- In September, the County announced the names of about a dozen community members and County of Hawai‘i staff members who are co-chairing six Resilience Capacity Areas (RCAs) -- Social, Cultural, Economic, Natural Environment, Built Environment, and Youth -- as part of implementation of the Kīlauea Recovery and Resilience Plan.
- These RCAs include community-driven projects headed by Action Teams that advance the plan’s three strategies: Recovery, Readiness, and Resilience. Co-chairs from the community and County provide these teams with technical assistance and guidance to help their initiatives succeed as part of this resilience framework.
- For a full list of co-chairs and Action Team projects, or to get involved, visit the Action Teams page on the Recovery website.
Revitalize Puna
- The second quarterly Revitalize Puna community activation will be held virtually via Zoom from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12. Join us to foster community-County collaboration and be part of creating a stronger Puna! Register by visiting the Revitalize Puna page.
- This free community activation event includes:
- Virtual Resource Happy
- Recovery Updates
- Q&A with County Leadership
- Resilience Action Team Updates
- Community Building Activities.
- Registrants can also sign up for a free community resource bag that includes a meal kit and recipe card for luau stew and support materials from local nonprofits. Pick-up for those confirmed to receive a bag will take place at 3 p.m. Oct. 12 in Puna.
Infrastructure
- In mid-September, the County announced additional decisions regarding use of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for infrastructure restoration.
- Decisions were based on considerations such as: participation in the Voluntary Housing Buyout Program (VHBP), traffic circulation, emergency evacuation, and social and economic needs for the area.
- FEMA funds not used for restoring particular infrastructure will be used to support alternate projects in Puna.
- Read more here.
- For more information on road projects, visit the Road Access page on the Recovery website.
Voluntary Housing Buyout Program
- County staff are working diligently to process the nearly 300 applications received for Phase 1 (Primary Residences) of the Voluntary Housing Buyout Program.
- As of Oct. 1, intakes had been completed with 227 applicants.
- The program is funded by about $107 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Buyout offers are based on the 2017 pre-eruption assessed market value up to $230,000.
- 70% of the funds need to support low- to moderate-income households.
- The Phase 2 application period (Secondary Residences) runs from Nov. 1, 2021-Jan. 31, 2022. Phase 3 (Undeveloped Parcels) lasts from May 2, 2022-July 29, 2022.
- The Phase 1 application period ended July 30; however, those eligible for Phase 1 can apply during Phases 2 & 3 as well.
- To learn more about the program and the process, visit the Housing Buyout Program page. Page includes a new video about the program featuring Planning Director Zendo Kern and CDBG-DR Program Manager Julie Leialoha.