Resilience Hub Reality Check -- It Takes Way More Than the Latest Buzzword to Save Communities
IM September 18 2026: … the international record shows that hubs can make people less safe if the behavioral side is handled badly….a statewide network in the high hundreds of nodes is a reasonable inference — but it is an inference, not a state plan…. A hub network that ignores that granularity is not a network; it is a list….
The strongest argument for hubs is the documented state of public sheltering. Hawaii’s own guidance plans for roughly 35 percent of the population seeking public hurricane shelter, based on a 2009 statewide survey with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, while allocating only 10 square feet per person — explicitly below the national standard — specifically to squeeze more people into a statewide shortfall of buildings suitable for high wind. The state’s 2018 preparedness report was blunter: there are insufficient hurricane evacuation shelters to meet estimated demand, and those shelters have no supplies.
Eight years later the picture has not improved. Reporting in August 2026 found that 20 of Oahu’s 25 shelter sites were retrofitted to withstand only Category 1 winds; Honolulu County’s roughly 100,000-person shelter capacity is about half what it says a Category 5 storm would require; Kailua went from eight designated shelters to none; a North Shore campus was dropped after inspection placed a building in a flood zone; and Hawaii Island has just two facilities — Hilo High School gym and the Robert N. Herkes gymnasium in Pahala — built for Category 3 winds.
In 2018 a state official estimated it would take roughly three centuries at then-current funding to assess and retrofit the shelters needed statewide….
That is the context in which hubs are being asked to carry weight they were never scoped to carry. It is also the trap: hubs are generally not certified shelters, and blurring the two is how planning documents start promising protection that no engineer signed off on….
Read … The Resilience Hub Reality Check -- It Takes Way More Than the Latest Buzzword to Save Communities | Ililani Media
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HAWAIʻI FACES APPROXIMATELY $1 BILLION IN DISASTER RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE NEEDS
Governor Green and State Officials Provide Comprehensive Update on Four Major Disasters
News Release from Office of the Governor, September 23, 2026
HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green today announced that preliminary damage, recovery and future resilience needs following four major disasters that struck Hawaiʻi in 2026 total approximately $1 billion.
Current estimates and recovery commitments reported by state agencies total approximately $686 million from the March Kona Low storms, the May 22 magnitude 6.0 Hawaiʻi Island earthquake, Hurricane Lala and Hurricane Lowell. The state has also identified at least $319 million in proposed resilience and mitigation projects to strengthen critical infrastructure and prepare Hawaiʻi for future disasters.
The figures remain preliminary and are subject to reconciliation as damage assessments and federal eligibility reviews continue. Residential, agricultural, utility and business losses have not been fully calculated.
“Four major disasters in six months have caused extraordinary damage across our state and made clear that recovery and resilience must move forward together,” said Governor Green. “The costs identified so far approach $700 million, and the investments needed to strengthen our critical infrastructure bring the total challenge to approximately $1 billion. We will pursue every available federal resource, use insurance and state funding responsibly and work with the Legislature to protect our people and prepare Hawaiʻi for what comes next.”
Across all four disasters, 1,290 homes were affected, including 74 destroyed, 451 with major damage, 514 with minor damage and 251 otherwise affected.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Hawaiʻi Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan outlined the Hawaiʻi National Guard’s rescue, evacuation, logistics and recovery missions. Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen provided updated infrastructure estimates, while Department of Human Services Director Joe Campos updated food assistance, shelter support and housing programs available to affected households.
STATEWIDE COSTS AND FUTURE RESILIENCE
The approximately $686 million in currently identified damage and recovery costs includes:
- Approximately $463.6 million connected to the Kona Low storms
- At least $1.5 million connected to the Hawaiʻi Island earthquake, with major categories still undetermined
- Approximately $108 million connected to Hurricane Lala
- Approximately $112.4 million connected to Hurricane Lowell
The state has also identified at least $319 million in future resilience and mitigation projects, including:
- $80 million to modernize the State Emergency Operations Center
- $175 million to harden Honolulu Harbor
- $20 million to study a potential alternate port
- $20 million for community resilience hubs
- $9 million for airport generators
- At least $15 million for natural disaster mitigation
Potential funding sources include federal disaster relief, state insurance, additional appropriations from the Hawai‘i State Legislature, rainy day funds and revenue from the Green Fee.
KONA LOW STORMS
Current estimates and recovery commitments connected to the March storms total approximately $463.6 million. This includes $44.8 million in preliminary public infrastructure damage, approximately $191.8 million in Department of Transportation infrastructure costs, $162 million in preliminary Department of Education repair costs and $65 million committed to restoring Kula Hospital.
The storms affected 463 homes across Hawaiʻi, Maui and Honolulu counties. The Hawaiʻi National Guard mobilized up to 500 personnel, rescued or evacuated 138 people, delivered more than 42,000 gallons of potable water to 3,200 residents and cleared 3,732 cubic yards of debris from 164 homes.
The Department of Health safely relocated 117 patients and launched MEDICOM to coordinate hospitals, emergency medical services and patient movement. The Department of Education identified damage at 54 schools.
The state also launched disaster housing programs and provided $1,500 emergency grants to approximately 1,300 farmers.
HAWAIʻI ISLAND EARTHQUAKE
The May earthquake affected 313 homes in Hawaiʻi County, including 18 destroyed and 92 with major damage. A comprehensive monetary estimate for public infrastructure damage has not been determined, although the Department of Transportation estimates approximately $1.5 million in highway costs.
FEMA established Individual Assistance operations under disaster declaration DR-4936-HI to connect affected individuals and households with disaster assistance, housing recovery programs and other support.
The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations requested $113,000 in federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance funding. Affected farmers and ranchers were also included in the state’s $5 million Emergency Agricultural Relief Program. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations began accepting Disaster Unemployment Assistance applications through the state unemployment insurance portal at huiclaims.hawaii.gov, pending federal authorization and funding.
HURRICANE LALA
Currently reported damage and recovery estimates connected to Lala total approximately $108 million. This includes $67 million in preliminary public infrastructure damage across Hawaiʻi, Maui and Honolulu counties, approximately $28.5 million in highway and airport costs and $12.5 million in preliminary damage at 38 public schools.
Lala affected 267 homes, including 29 destroyed and 82 with major damage.
The Hawaiʻi National Guard activated up to 250 personnel, rescued or assisted 16 civilians and two emergency medical personnel, completed 421 wellness checks and cleared more than 6.9 miles of roadway. Guard members also removed 168 tons of debris and supported recovery operations at Nāʻālehu Cemetery.
Recovery efforts remain underway in Kaʻū, including emergency repairs along Route 11, debris removal, medical and behavioral health outreach and temporary housing support.
The Department of Education distributed 3,800 meals to families in Kaʻū. DHS issued approximately $18.9 million in replacement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to more than 65,000 households following Lala.
HURRICANE LOWELL
Currently reported damage and recovery estimates connected to Lowell total approximately $112.4 million.
The current preliminary public infrastructure estimate is $100.5 million, including $93.7 million in Kauaʻi County, $6.4 million in Maui County and $430,000 in Hawaiʻi County. Department of Transportation estimates include $3.77 million for sinkhole repairs at Kaumālapaʻu Harbor, $150,000 for debris removal, $1.5 million in airport costs and $6.5 million in highway costs.
Lowell affected 247 homes on Kauaʻi, including 10 destroyed and 67 with major damage. Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment work, debris removal and repairs to utilities, roads, schools and harbors remain underway.
The state submitted an expedited request for a presidential major disaster declaration seeking immediate federal assistance for Kauaʻi and Maui counties.
More than 300 Hawaiʻi National Guard personnel deployed with high-water vehicles, aviation assets and logistics support. The Guard distributed 2,150 gallons and 243 cases of water, along with 2,045 meals.
The Department of Health and Guard transported eight dialysis patients and three caregivers from Kauaʻi to Oʻahu. Health officials also monitored 259 power-dependent Medicare beneficiaries and provided guidance to 136 public water systems.
DHS issued approximately $1.4 million in replacement SNAP benefits to more than 3,700 households following Lowell. The USDA approved the state’s request to extend the reporting deadline for replacement benefits through Thursday, Oct. 8, for Kauaʻi County households that lost food because of the hurricane. Households may apply by submitting a signed, written statement to any DHS Processing Center statewide. The deadline for affected Oʻahu households remains Monday, Sept. 28. Additional information is available at humanservices.hawaii.gov or by calling 1-855-643-1643.
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism is also directing $2.5 million toward recovery efforts, with additional details forthcoming.
State agencies continue working with county and federal partners on damage assessments, infrastructure restoration, housing, healthcare, food security, unemployment assistance and long-term recovery. Additional program details and eligibility requirements will be announced as they are confirmed.
Photos of the news conference, courtesy Office of the Governor, are uploaded here.
Slides from the news conference can be found here.
Video of the news conference can be found here.
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