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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Harry Kim <br />Talmadge J. Magno <br /> <br /> Mayor <br />Civil Defense Administrator <br /> <br />Wil Okabe <br /> <br />Managing Director <br /> <br />Barbara Kossow <br />Deputy Managing Director <br /> CIVIL DEFENSE AGENCY <br />920 Ululani Street  Hilo, Hawai'i 96720-3958 <br />(808) 935-0031  Fax (808) 935-6460 <br /> <br />September 27, 2018 <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br /> <br /> <br />Hawai`i County Grateful to FEMA for Help with Hurricane, Eruption Recovery <br /> <br />Mayor Harry Kim expressed deep gratitude on Thursday morning to Mr. Bern Ruiz of <br />the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their tremendous help with the <br />eruption and hurricane emergencies on Hawai'i Island. <br /> <br />Mr. Ruiz, the Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA Region IX, made a special visit to <br />notify the Mayor that a Presidential Disaster Declaration had just been granted to <br />Hawai’i County, paving the way for financial assistance to County government for the <br />repair of County government facilities damaged by Hurricane Lane. <br /> <br />Under the Declaration for Hurricane Lane, Hawai'i County will receive public assistance <br />to support emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities <br />on Hawai'i Island; as will Maui and Kaua`i. In addition, Hawai'i County will be eligible to <br />apply for assistance from the Hazard Mitigation Program for actions taken to prevent or <br />reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural disasters. <br /> <br />“I want Hawai'i’s people to know how FEMA personnel stayed with us 24/7 throughout <br />the entire eruption. I will never forget when FEMA personnel worked through the night to <br />ensure the Disaster Recovery Center would be ready for residents of Puna by the next <br />morning.” Mayor Kim said that he told the FEMA personnel that it could wait another <br />day to get ready. But they insisted that one day would make a big difference to the <br />victims of the eruption, and after working all night, the Disaster Recovery Center was <br />open in the morning. <br /> <br />“I need the entire FEMA organization to know how grateful we are to them for coming to <br />our aid,” Mayor Kim said. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Hawai’i County is an equal opportunity provider and employer <br />