Updated at 1:53 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2007
Hawaii may get thousands of dollars in FEMA aid
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i will receive federal funds to cover the cost of battling the Maui brushfire, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye announced today.The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the state's request for fire management assistance after the Maui County Fire Department concluded it to be a major disaster.
The state could be reimbursed thousands of federal dollars to cover the "mitigation, management, and control" of the blaze, according to a press release.
"The federal fire management assistance program is one example where the federal government can have a positive impact when disasters and major emergencies occur," Inouye said in the release.
FEMA funding is tied to formulas, which determine federal cost assistance for fire management. The authorization makes FEMA funding availbale to pay 75 percent of the state's eligivle firefighting costs.
In a separate news release issued by FEMA, Nancy Ward, the agency's Region IX Administrator, said: "We are coordinating available resources to help with the Olowalu Fire that is threatening residential subdivisions near Lahaina."
