Hawaii and Northern Mariana Islands Receive Additional Recovery Funding

Flood waters from Hurricane Lane in Hilo, Hawaii | WTOP

As of early December 2019, both Hawaii and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) received additional funding from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund (CDBG-DR) to aid in recovery efforts from Hurricane Lane and Typhoon Yutu. 

Hawaii received $26 million, bringing the total aid allotted for Hurricane Lane relief to over half a billion dollars. Hurricane Lane hit Hawaii in August 2018, and set the record for the second wettest storm in the US, only following Hurricane Harvey. These funds are designated to support the reconstruction efforts launched by the state and other local agencies. Many federal organizations have contributed aid, including FEMA, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Economic Development Administration. This capital will be used to support efforts such as housing development projects, the repair of parks, water lines, roads, and loans for repairs not covered by insurance.

CNMI received $244 million from the CDBG-DR to be used in reconstruction and economic revitalization efforts. This set the record as the single largest amount of federal aid ever received by CNMI. The funds are to be used to fill in the gaps between areas that other organizations such as FEMA and the Small Business Administration are not covering in their recovery work. In addition, CNMI has been allotted over $150 million from a recent bill passed by the House, and plan to apply for additional recovery grants.