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OHA details $3.96M emergency package and hears community recovery needs in Maui presentations
Summary
Chief Operating Officer Kishan Kina said OHA will invest $3.96 million in storm relief and launch four programs for affected households; community groups including Maui Rapid Response, Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens and local nonprofits described recovery needs and asked for flexible funding and staffing support.
OHA announced a $3.96 million emergency investment for those affected by recent storms and outlined plans to stand up four programs to deliver relief and home-repair aid.
Chief Operating Officer Kishan Kina told trustees that OHA will deploy four tracks of support: a program delivered through Hawaiian Council ("Yola"), an internally administered grants-and-aid program, a Mahi program and a Malama Honua home-repair program. The programs are intended to serve households with minor, major and complete damage; staff said public details and application guidance should be available on OHA's website in the coming weeks.
Multiple community presenters described on-the-ground needs and requested flexible, culturally-informed funding and coordination. Nicole Hugginen of Maui Rapid Response described their emergency hub operations and a year-long universal basic income pilot that provided $700–$1,100 monthly to participants; she said Maui Rapid Response supported roughly 600 households after the Konolo storms and asked for continued funding.
Kinoa Le McDonald of the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations reported that initial storm-impact counts (248) understate damage and estimated about 310 affected homes on Molokai alone; the council requested clear timelines for deployment of recovery funding and coordination among agencies and grassroots responders.
Janice Herrick of Makana Noʻu described a single point-of-contact home-repair hub to provide licensed, bonded contractor referrals and locally trusted case management for homeowners, emphasizing trust and timeliness in repairs.
Chris Ika Nakahashi of Maui Nui Botanical Gardens described capacity needs at the garden, volunteer and educational programming, and requested staffing and program support to expand plant donations and seed-collection work supporting post-fire replanting.
Trustees acknowledged the presentations and reiterated OHA's commitment to coordinate deployment of the announced emergency funds and to work with community partners on implementation details.
