Office of the Governor – News Release – Gov. Green Requests Expedited Major Disaster Declaration Following Hurricane Lowell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2026
HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green today joined Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami, State Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura and Representative Dee Morikawa, for an initial assessment of storm impacts on Kauaʻi. State and county teams continue to assess damage as access is restored. After signing the document on Kauaʻi, Governor Green submitted an expedited request to President Donald J. Trump for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration following Hurricane Lowell, seeking immediate federal assistance for Kauaʻi and Maui counties.
The request asks the federal government to proceed without waiting for the usual joint preliminary damage assessment because the storm caused simultaneous and widespread losses of power, transportation access and other essential services.
Under the standard process, state, county and federal officials conduct damage assessments to document losses and evaluate the severity of a disaster, including its impact relative to the size of the affected population. However, federal regulations allow an abbreviated request when a catastrophe is so severe that field assessments are not necessary to demonstrate the need for supplemental federal assistance.
“We cannot wait for every damaged road, utility pole, harbor and public facility to be assigned a dollar value before asking the federal government to act,” said Governor Green. “On Kauaʻi, nearly the entire island lost power while roads, harbors and airport operations were simultaneously compromised. On Lānaʻi, the island’s only commercial cargo harbor is inoperable. This is exactly why an expedited process exists. We are moving now while assessments continue.”
The request states that approximately 33,000 of Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative’s 36,000 member accounts, or roughly 90 percent, experienced an outage during the storm. At the height of the event, all commercial ports and Līhuʻe Airport were closed, while numerous roads were blocked by flooding, fallen trees and downed utility infrastructure. Hurricane Lowell, at this early juncture, is appearing to have caused more damage than Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
On Lānaʻi, Kaumālapaʻu Harbor, the island’s only commercial cargo facility, remains inoperable. Approximately 3,000 residents depend on the harbor for food, fuel, medical supplies and construction materials.
If approved, the declaration would make the following federal assistance available:
- Public Assistance in all categories for Kauaʻi and Maui counties, including funding for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to roads, bridges, public buildings, utilities, harbors and other public infrastructure;
- Direct federal assistance for emergency power generation, debris clearance needed to reach damaged utility systems, delivery of commodities to isolated communities and temporary marine cargo capability for Lānaʻi;
- Assistance for permanent repairs to damaged electrical, water and wastewater systems;
- Individual Assistance, including the Individuals and Households Program, as supported by continuing assessments;
- The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide; and
- U.S. Small Business Administration physical and economic injury disaster loans for Kauaʻi and Maui counties.
The state will continue submitting validated damage estimates and requests for additional assistance as detailed assessments are completed and access to isolated areas is restored.
The expedited request follows Governor Green’s Sept. 2 emergency proclamation, which activated the Hawaiʻi National Guard and the state Major Disaster Fund, directed state agencies to support response operations and suspended the fund’s $10 million expenditure cap for a single emergency. The state proclamation supports the immediate state response, while the new request seeks supplemental federal assistance for long-term recovery.
“State, county, utility and emergency personnel are working around the clock, but the scale and urgency of these impacts exceed what Hawaiʻi can address alone,” Governor Green said. “We are asking our federal partners to act quickly so we can restore essential services, support affected families and rebuild stronger.”
Additionally, the state has submitted a Major Disaster Declaration for Tropical Cyclone Lala, and is awaiting FEMA review.
Assets, courtesy Office of the Governor:
Damage assessment photos can be found here.
The Declaration request can be found here.
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