Kaua‘i’s Civil Defense staff is assessing damage caused by a recent storm system that pounded the island with heavy rain, severe flooding and high winds, especially on the Westside, according to county officials. Beth Tokioka, Executive Assistant to Mayor Bernard
Kaua‘i’s Civil Defense staff is assessing damage caused by a recent storm system that pounded the island with heavy rain, severe flooding and high winds, especially on the Westside, according to county officials.
Beth Tokioka, Executive Assistant to Mayor Bernard Carvalho, said yesterday that after the assessment is conducted, “we’ll see where we’re at and what the next step is.”
Civil Defense Administrator Mark Marshall said yesterday county workers were still “in the process of cleaning up” and that damage “always looks better in the light of day, especially a nice sunny day like we have today.”
The county did not open emergency shelters during the storm because there was not a huge demand from people forced from their homes and because “Kaua‘i is awfully good with being able to absorb, with neighbors and family and friends, those who are displaced,” Marshall said.
Civil Air Patrol conducted an aerial damage assessment yesterday, according to Marshall, and the Civil Defense Agency is encouraging residents to report any damage to structures, crops or any other property as soon as possible.
Marshall explained damage reports will augment the county’s aggregate total and will increase the chances of Kaua‘i receiving monetary support from federal entities, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Agriculture.
“Completing the damage assessments will be the top priority for our Civil Defense staff this week,” Carvalho said in a press release. “We want to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity there may be to assist our residents with federal funding if we can qualify.”
Qualifying is hardly a foregone conclusion, as the agencies have high thresholds and many strings attached.
Marshall said FEMA requires at least 153 homes on Kaua‘i to have been destroyed or have suffered major damage rendering them uninhabitable before providing funds.
The Small Business Administration’s cutoff is just 25 homes, but with the added stipulation that the homeowner must have been denied loans by three lenders before turning to the government.
Both programs’ funding would actually be closer to loans than simple aid, and they require that the homes be uninsured, Marshall said.
The Department of Agriculture can provide assistance for crop losses, but only if the loss amounts to 75 percent of the total crop on Kaua‘i. Marshall said a single farm, or even an entire region of the island, could be wiped out and not receive funding if other areas are largely undamaged.
“Some of that is not written in stone, but they put that out there as a guidelines,” he said yesterday.
Marshall said the state and county tend not to write checks, but could explore the possibility of offering breaks on real property tax or state income tax.
Damage reports can be called in to 241-1800. Callers can leave a message with their contact information and a description of the loss.
“We’re not a regulatory branch, we’re not out there to see if people are in compliance or anything else, we’re just there to make sure those damages are documented,” Marshall said.
Saturday, the public was urged to stay off the roads and the Kaua‘i Fire Department’s Ocean Safety Bureau closed all beaches. Residents and visitors were encouraged to stay out of potentially hazardous brown water.
Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado southwest of Kaumakani. A tornado warning was in effect for about one hour, and reports of a touchdown near Kaumakani were unconfirmed by Marshall yesterday.
An average of 4 to 6 inches of rain fell per hour over most of the island, with as much as 8 to 10 inches in some areas, according to the National Weather Service report Saturday morning.
Friday evening, Gov. Linda Lingle signed a state disaster proclamation for the counties of Kaua‘i, Maui and Honolulu because of the damage created by the storm system.
“We have a great concern for those who have been impacted by the severe weather,” she said in a press release. “This action will allow us to begin the recovery process as well as provide a means for repairing public infrastructure.”
• Michael Levine, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or via e-mail at mlevine@kauaipubco.com
