Honolulu Storm-Relief Authority Extended Through Sept. 29
Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green issued a Ninth Emergency Proclamation on July 31, extending the state’s disaster emergency relief period for the March and April 2026 weather events through Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.
The order was issued before the Eighth Proclamation’s scheduled expiration on Monday, Aug. 3. For Honolulu and Oʻahu, that means the emergency legal framework for storm preparation, response, damage assessment and recovery remains available, subject to earlier termination or replacement by another proclamation.
What changed
The Ninth Proclamation covers the entire state and supersedes earlier proclamations related to this emergency. The State Procurement Office identifies the July 31 order as the current proclamation for the Kona Low weather emergency and lists the relief period as continuing through Sept. 29 unless it ends earlier or is superseded.
The local consequences include catastrophic flooding in North Shore Oʻahu communities. The proclamation’s findings describe damage to roads and highways, public infrastructure and buildings, homes and other private property, as well as disruptions involving transportation, energy and other critical infrastructure.
Procurement flexibility remains narrow
The order does not broadly eliminate Hawaiʻi’s public purchasing rules. It suspends Chapter 103D, the Hawaiʻi public procurement code, only to the extent that compliance would cause additional delays in meeting procurement requirements for selecting contractors in a timely manner to respond to emergency situations.
The Ninth Proclamation also applies a similar delay-based suspension to Chapter 103F, which governs purchases of health and human services. Other targeted provisions address subjects including public-works wage and hour requirements, government-vehicle limitations, certain county-administration rules, and selected funding and appropriation procedures.
For Honolulu residents, businesses and neighborhood organizations, the distinction matters. Agencies may have additional flexibility when ordinary procedures would delay urgent emergency work, but the proclamation does not name every contractor, project, payment or City and County of Honolulu decision made under that authority. It also does not create a blanket waiver of oversight.
Relief programs continue, but awards are not automatic
The Ninth Proclamation continues rules for an Emergency Farmer Relief Program administered by the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. Eligible farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses must have suffered storm-related damage or loss, maintain an active state general excise tax license and meet the program’s other requirements. The rules limit an eligible applicant to one grant of up to $1,500.
The proclamation also adopts rules for three Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency housing-relief programs: rental assistance, home repair and general disaster assistance. The rules address households whose primary housing was damaged or lost and who are ineligible for, were denied, or have exhausted FEMA individual assistance, subject to separate program requirements.
The rules set maximum awards of up to 12 months of eligible rent for the rental-assistance program, up to $25,000 for the home-repair program and up to $5,000 for the general disaster-assistance program. They also state that the rules and programs do not create a property interest or entitlement to receive an award. Residents should confirm with Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency or the contracted program provider whether applications are currently being accepted, what documentation is required and which deadlines apply.
Why Honolulu and Oʻahu remain affected
Hawaiʻi News Now reported earlier in the recovery that Oʻahu faced water-system concerns, debris-removal needs and power-related problems after the storms, including a North Shore boil-water notice connected to a power shutoff.
Those reports establish the local recovery context for the extension, but they are not a current status update for every affected location. Residents should rely on the latest notices from the City and County of Honolulu, the state, the Board of Water Supply and affected utilities before making decisions about water safety, roads, cleanup or power service.
Federal assistance is separate
A federal disaster declaration made assistance available for affected individuals in the City and County of Honolulu, as well as for Hawaiʻi and Maui counties, for severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring March 10 through March 24. Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported that individual assistance may include temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans for some uninsured losses.
Federal funding is also available to eligible state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities. That assistance is subject to federal eligibility, documentation and application rules, and availability does not mean every applicant, property or project will qualify.
The Ninth Proclamation does not automatically create FEMA benefits, approve individual claims or guarantee funding for a Honolulu recovery project. State housing-relief programs likewise remain subject to their own eligibility standards and available funding.
What Honolulu residents should watch next
The key accountability questions are which Honolulu recovery contracts use the extended authority, why ordinary procurement would cause delay, how much public money is committed, which roads and facilities are being repaired, how debris work is being managed and when contract and spending records will be published.
Residents with storm damage should verify current instructions separately with FEMA, the State of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency and the City and County of Honolulu. The practical effect of the extension is continued authority for emergency work through Sept. 29—not a guarantee that every recovery project or assistance application will be approved.
Sources
- Ninth Emergency Proclamation Relating to March and April 2026 Weather Events
- Federal disaster declaration after Kona Low storm damages
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