‍

At the President’s direction, federal disaster assistance is now available to help individuals and households recover from the impacts of the Kona Low flooding that occurred March 10–24, 2026. The Major Disaster Declaration authorizes FEMA’s Individual Assistance program for City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i County and Maui County.

If you have homeowners or renters’ insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance.

How to Apply for FEMA Assistance

Survivors can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance by:

• Phone: Calling FEMA’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-621-FEMA). If you use a relay service, such as video relay, captioned telephone, or another service, please provide FEMA the number for that service.
• Online: Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Mobile App: Using the FEMA app on a smartphone or tablet.
  

Registration is free and survivors should apply soon, the deadline for applications will be June 14, 2026; applications can be updated with additional information if the situation changes.

‍

Be Ready with Key Information

Having important information and documents ready will help speed the process. When you apply, please have:

• Your current contact information (phone number, mailing address, and email, if available)
• The address of the damaged home
• Your Social Security number
• Insurance information, including any homeowner’s, renters, or flood insurance policy and known coverage
• A brief description of the damage and any losses
• Bank account and routing numbers if you choose direct deposit for any approved assistance
  

You do not need to have all documents in hand to start your application but providing complete and accurate information will help prevent delays.

What FEMA Individual Assistance May Provide

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is designed to help survivors with basic, essential needs that are not covered by insurance or other sources. Depending on individual circumstances, assistance may include:

• Temporary housing assistance for homeowners and renters who cannot live in their homes due to disaster damage
• Basic home repairs to make a primary residence safe, sanitary, and functional
• Other Needs Assistance, which may help with necessary expenses such as: Personal property
• Transportation
• Certain medical, dental, or childcare costs
• Other eligible disaster-related expenses
  
  

FEMA assistance is not a replacement for insurance and is not intended to restore all losses. It is designed to help jump-start recovery for essential needs.

‍

Insurance and Other Help

• Insurance is the first and most important source of recovery funding. Survivors should contact their insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim, if they have not already done so.
• State and County Agencies, as well as local non-profit and faith-based organizations, lead recovery efforts. FEMA is working closely with the State of Hawaii and local partners to help connect survivors with available support.
  • U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans are available for homeowners, renters, businesses of any size and nonprofits. Like FEMA, SBA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. Businesses and residents can apply online sba.gov/disaster. For questions and assistance completing an application, call 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

‍