WASHINGTON — Saturday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the County of Hawai‘i will receive $2,251,163 in new federal funding to help the island recover from the 2018 Kilauea eruption and improve resiliency for future natural disasters.
WASHINGTON — Saturday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the County of Hawai‘i will receive $2,251,163 in new federal funding to help the island recover from the 2018 Kilauea eruption and improve resiliency for future natural disasters.
This grant will go toward rebuilding the area’s wastewater collection and treatment systems, which were damaged in 2018. By funding the creation of a new, centralized system, instead of repairing the previous cesspool system, these funds will help the community recover in a cleaner and safer way, Schatz said. “This grant will help create a centralized waste-treatment system that’s safer for Hilo families and improves the resiliency of the community,” said Schatz.
“As we recover from the 2018 natural disasters, we’ll keep fighting for more federal funding at every opportunity so we can rebuild stronger than before,” he sid.
This grant comes from the Economic Adjustment Assistance program, administered by the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Tom Callis, Kilauea Disaster Recovery Program Communications Specialist for the County of Hawaiʻi, clarifies “that this funding will be used to explore wastewater solutions for Puna commercial centers, not for Hilo.”
