{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-congressional-delegation-urges-president-to-approve-hawaiis-disaster-declaration", "Hawai\u2018i Congressional Delegation Urges President To Approve Hawai\u2018i\u2019s Disaster Declaration", "2026-07-29", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai\u2018i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai\u2018i) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai\u2018i) urged President Donald Trump to act swiftly on Governor Josh Green\u2019s request for a presidential disaster declaration for areas impacted by a recent 6.0 earthquake on Hawai\u2018i Island. The declaration will help ensure that the affected communities can access important federal funding and resources to recover.\n\n\u201cWe ask that you consider expediting all federal assistance possible to help the State recover from the impacts of a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Hawai\u2018i Island on May 22, 2026, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program,\u201d the delegation wrote in their letter to the president. \u201cIt is difficult to overstate the stress that the earthquake has placed on this community, where approximately 20 percent of the population lives at or below the poverty line, and roughly 20 percent of the general population reports having a disability. State and county governments are also stretched to their capacities by the successive disasters the State has faced since 2018.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter follows and is available here.\n\nDear President Trump:\n\nWe write in support of Governor Josh Green\u2019s July 20, 2026, request that you issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawai\u2018i. We ask that you consider expediting all federal assistance possible to help the State recover from the impacts of a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Hawai\u2018i Island on May 22, 2026, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program. We appreciate your continued efforts to support Hawai\u2018i as we recover from multiple natural disasters.\n\nA powerful 6.0 earthquake struck the western side of Hawai\u2018i Island on the evening of May 22, 2026. Centered near the Honaunau-Napo?opo?o area, the initial seismic shock severely damaged local roadways, triggering multiple rockslides that completely blocked the highway. The earthquake also caused widespread power outages that affected roughly 1,330 utility customers and commercial agricultural operations throughout the island.\n\nIn total, state and local governments received reports of damages to 548 homes on Hawai\u2018i Island. The Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment evaluated 313 of these properties and determined that 110 homes either sustained major structural damage or were completely destroyed. Notably, many of the homes in the affected region are not connected to county water infrastructure and rely on rain catchment and cesspool systems for their water infrastructure. 105 homes suffered the total loss of the water catchment systems, creating a health and safety hazard for residents and potentially the broader community.\n\nIt is difficult to overstate the stress that the earthquake has placed on this community, where approximately 20 percent of the population lives at or below the poverty line, and roughly 20 percent of the general population reports having a disability. Due to the extremely high cost of earthquake insurance in this volcanically active region, only 5.2 percent of the 548 homes reporting damage have a standard homeowner\u2019s policy, and only two homes had earthquake insurance. State and county governments are also stretched to their capacities by the successive disasters the State has faced since 2018.\n\nTo effectively respond to these needs, we support the Governor\u2019s request for the following assistance:\n\nA Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Hawai\u2018i;\n\nAuthorization to activate the Individual Assistance Program for Hawai\u2018i County; and\n\nAuthorization of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.\n\nWe are grateful for your consideration of this request, and we look forward to working with your agency in the months and years ahead to help Hawai\u2018i recover and rebuild.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-31T07:49:23Z", "2026-07-31T07:50:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-congressional-delegation-urges-president-to-approve-hawaiis-disaster-declaration"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2763319537043571, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}