HILO — Hawaii County officials say they need $800 million to recover from the Kilauea volcano disaster.
HILO — Hawaii County officials say they need $800 million to recover from the Kilauea volcano disaster.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports Managing Director Wil Okabe said last week that the county needs that amount to ensure the island’s long-term recovery from the recent eruption, which destroyed more than 700 homes and damaged infrastructure, including four state highways.
The county previously estimated a figure of $680 million.
Okabe says long-term needs include “emergency response, housing, infrastructure and public facilities, economic recovery, community planning, natural and cultural resources, health and social services.”
Okabe says the county needs $55 million to $60 million immediately.
Rep. Joy San Buenaventura of Puna calls the $800 million figure “a needs assessment, not a legislative” request. San Buenaventura says she thinks $23 million of the $55 million figure for immediate needs have been funded.
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Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
It is unfair for Hawaii County to ask other taxpayers on different islands to pay $800 million in order for fix the problems created by the recent volcanic eruption.
After all these years that the County of Hawaii collected property taxes on these 700 homes, which were built on areas that insurance companies were reluctant to ensure in addition to other taxes like food, gasoline, one may ask what happened to the $millions collected and why was it not deposited in some fund to address the very problem now faced with that county?
Instead of squandering this money on other projects they should have planned for a rainy or lave day, which never happened, now they expect those who do not live there to foot the bill? They should condemn that area and only give access to homes that are still there and fix those areas because who knows if $800 million is used only to find out the next eruption wipes it out, leaving the outer islands residents holding the bag.