Hawaii News

Hurricane Lowell recovery remains the dominant statewide thread, with Kauaʻi still assessing damage and restoring services. Kauaʻi County had completed 301 damage assessments as of late Saturday morning, with nearly 60 homes showing major damage and several destroyed, while county officials also launched KauaiRecovers.org as a centralized recovery resource, according to Kauaʻi Now. Gov. Josh Green also announced progress on the island’s recovery, saying about 72% of power had been restored and infrastructure repairs were continuing, as reported by Maui Now. Most Hawaiʻi State Department of Education public schools on Kauaʻi were scheduled to reopen Monday following the storm, while a University of Hawaiʻi team reconstructed Lowell hour by hour using statewide weather-station observations, per Maui Now and Kauaʻi Now.

Recovery and disaster-response work is also active on the Big Island and across the state. Hawaiʻi County expanded community resource center services to help residents affected by the major magnitude-6.0 earthquake centered near the west side of the island, and the IRS announced tax relief for people and businesses impacted by that quake, according to Big Island Now and Big Island Now. On Maui, officials are also dealing with water and disaster-related issues: Gov. Green and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency announced an expanded Disaster Case Management Program for statewide services, and Maui Now reported that Kalaupapa patients and staff were temporarily relocated because of an unreliable drinking water supply. Maui County political candidates are also highlighting water scarcity as a major issue, with candidates saying water should be reserved for affordable housing, farming and fire mitigation rather than luxury developments, according to Maui Now and Maui Now.

Beyond recovery, several education and workforce stories stand out. Hawaiʻi Community College received a $920,000 National Science Foundation grant for a drone sensors program on Maui, while Big Island Now reported a nearly $1 million federal grant to expand drone training at the college. Statewide, public high school students can apply for the 2027 Hawaiʻi Sister-State Study Tours Program to serve as student ambassadors abroad, and the U.S. Department of Justice has filed lawsuits challenging Hawaiʻi and other states over in-state tuition policies for people the federal government says are not in the country with permission, according to Maui Now, Big Island Now, Big Island Now, and Big Island Now.