FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team official visiting Hilo this week

Hiro Toiya, Federal Emergency Management Agency federal coordinating officer for the March 10-24 kona low flooding, will be in Hilo on Friday, May 22, overseeing federal recovery operations and reminding residents affected by the back-to-back storms to apply for assistance before the approaching deadline.

All impacted residents — regardless of the damage they suffered — are encouraged to apply.

“I’ve been able to talk to some of the survivors, and they feel like maybe others have had it worse … so they’ve kind of shied away from applying for further assistance,” Toiya recently told Hawaiʻi Public Radio. “But you know, that person applying for assistance isn’t taking help away from anybody else.”

A presidential disaster declaration was issued at the beginning of April for the counties hardest hit by the two kona lows. Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, set up support and recovery centers around Hawai‘i Island to help those impacted by the storms access assistance for uninsured losses.

Big Island FEMA support and recover centers

Kealakekua Public Library

• Hours: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday; noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 4 p.m. Friday.
• Dates open: May 4 through June 12
• Address: 81-6619 Hawaiʻi Belt Road, Kealakekua

Keaʻau Armory

• Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday
• Dates open: May 4-22
• Address: Herbert Shipman Park, 16-512 Volcano Road, Kea’au

Nā‘ālehu Public Library

• Hours: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; noon to 4 p.m. Friday
• Dates open: May 26 through June 12
• Address: 95-5669 Māmalahoa Highway, Nāʻālehu

Sites will be closed May 25 in observance of Memorial Day and June 11 for King Kamehameha Day.

“We always say that disasters start locally, and we’re really relying on that local leadership and working with each of the counties, with the state and with the federal government coming in to provide support,” Toiya told Hawaiʻi Public Radio. “And that’s been our entire approach here, is to really rely on that local leadership, and they’re the ones that know the community the best.”

Toiya is a former director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. He stepped down in September 2024 to accept his position with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team for Region 9, which includes Hawai‘i.

His visit Friday in Hilo ensures Big Island residents have direct access to leadership from Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team, especially as time is running out before the 11:59 p.m. June 14 application deadline for federal assistance.

Impacted people can apply for federal aid by visiting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Disaster Assistance website or calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until the deadline passes.

Federal Emergency Management Agency support and recovery centers also are operating in addition to other disaster assistance for which residents can apply, including agricultural assistance, social services and nonprofit organization support.

More information about available resources for storm recovery can be found by following the “Disaster Recovery” link at the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense website.

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.