Comment Period Open for Hawai‘i County Draft Action Plan

Leilani Estates subdivision in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano. PC: USGS/HVO

Hawai‘i County has received nearly $84 million in federal grants to help with housing recovery following the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

Public comments on the county’s draft Action Plan can be submitted now through Aug. 18. The draft plan demonstrates how the county will apply the funds, provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to address unmet housing needs for disaster victims. The money is provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program.

The four-month-long eruption destroyed 723 structures, including 612 homes, the county said in a press release. Of the destroyed homes, 294 were primary residences.

As demonstrated in the draft plan, the county will primarily use the grants to support a voluntary buyout program for affected properties in order to assist displaced residents and reduce risks from future eruptions on Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone. This program is anticipated to begin in April 2021 and to be completed by June 2026. Housing relocation services also will be provided.

The draft plan can be viewed online at recovery.hawaiicounty.gov. Copies of the document are available for review at 25 Aupuni St., Suite 1301, Hilo, HI 96720. Office hours are 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays.

Comments can be submitted in the following ways:

• By email to kilauearecovery@hawaiicounty.gov.
• In-person at 25 Aupuni St., Suite 1301, Hilo, HI 96720.
• Sent by US mail to 25 Aupuni St., Suite 1301, Hilo, HI 96720.