Hawaii Congressional Delegation Urges President Trump to Quickly Approve Hawaii Emergency Disaster Declaration Request

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release:

Today, Hawaii's Congressional Delegation urged President Donald Trump to act swiftly on Governor David Ige's request for a presidential disaster declaration for the emergency response to Hurricane Lane. The declaration will help ensure that communities across the state can access important federal funding and resources for emergency services, such as the protection of lives, property, public health, and safety.

"Hurricane Lane has the capacity to wreak terrible damage across the entire state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's forecast brings this tropical cyclone within 100 miles of each of the main Hawaiian Islands. This track exposes much of the state to destructive winds, flood, and surf, potentially causing widespread power outages, protracted damage to infrastructure, and major disruptions to critical the transportation network and supply chain," the delegation wrote in a letter to President Trump. "We hope that you will approve the Governor's current request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide critical assistance as Hurricane Lane rakes our state's southern coasts."

Full text of the letter follows:

Dear Mr. President:

We write in strong support of Hawaii Governor Ige's letter requesting an emergency declaration for the State of Hawaii in anticipation of the significant impacts from powerful, slow-moving Hurricane Lane. We are grateful for your quick action on the Governor's prior requests this year, and we respectfully request your continued support as we face natural disaster a third time.

Hurricane Lane has the capacity to wreak terrible damage across the entire state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's forecast brings this tropical cyclone within 100 miles of each of the main Hawaiian Islands. This track exposes much of the state to destructive winds, flood, and surf, potentially causing widespread power outages, protracted damage to infrastructure, and major disruptions to critical the transportation network and supply chain.

As the Governor mentioned in his request, our State is still recovering from two prior disasters this year: DR-4365, "Hawaii Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides," and DR-4366, "Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes." The damage from these incidents was severe, and has stretched resources thin--and it has left our communities all the more vulnerable to further harm from the imminent threat of Hurricane Lane.

Your prompt attention to Kilauea and the earlier catastrophic flooding made a real difference for the impacted communities and businesses. In that spirit, we hope that you will approve the Governor's current request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide critical assistance as Hurricane Lane rakes our state's southern coasts.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,