County officials continuing damage assessments following storm, advises residents to stay informed

Officials with the county of Kaua’i have announced that on Monday, April 29, federal, state and county officials will commence the Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (JPDA) process on Kaua‘i, meant to validate damage data previously identified by state and local authorities. This process will help with potential requests for a Presidential disaster declaration and other federal disaster assistance.

The update on disaster assistance was released in the county’s Friday afternoon press release.

“The JPDA process follows up on the initial assessments by county, state, National Guard, American Red Cross and eligible non-governmental partners,” said Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) Administrator Elton Ushio in a statement. “JPDA validation will determine possible paths forward in terms of potential assistance from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration.”

KEMA’s damage assessment portal opened on Friday, April 12, and officials have since been reminding the public to submit their reports as the information provided will help the County understand the scope of property damage and impacts to our community. Due to a significant decrease in daily reports being submitted, officials believe that the scope of impact has been captured. Therefore, KEMA will be closing the portal on Monday, April 29.

“With our damage assessment portal closing on Monday, we encourage those who haven’t yet reported their damages to do so this weekend,” said Ushio. “Officials will continue to announce updates as resources become available and we encourage all to stay informed.”

All personnel conducting damage assessments next week will have official identification to verify their credentials.

Prior to any potential federal assistance, local partner organizations and agencies continue to work on recovery efforts. KEMA has been working closely with the Kaua‘i VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), who have opened a crisis cleanup hotline at 808-451-3102. The hotline will remain open through Friday, May 3, 2024.

For more information or assistance on flood recovery efforts, please contact KEMA by phone at 808-241-1800 or via email at [email protected].