State response to the Lahaina fires is being paid for in part with $30 million from Gov. Josh Green’s discretionary fund.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the state adjutant general, asked Green for the money in the aftermath of the Aug. 8 firestorm that leveled more than 2,200 structures and left 115 dead.

The fire caused about $5.5 billion in damage.

The state Senate and House voted last session to give Green the flexibility to spend $200 million as he sees fit.

“I thought that was the right thing to do in the moment so that (general) Hara can do whatever is necessary on the ground,” Green said. “As you can imagine, our HI-EMA (Hawaii Emergency Management Agency) needs support.”

They are running an operation that includes over 500 Federal Emergency Management Agency ground personnel and an additional 470 search and rescue specialists, 556 National Guard members and 390 Red Cross workers, he said.

“Some of that money is going to make sure that we’re able to manage this,” the governor said.

As of Monday the Biden administration has approved $8.6 million in assistance to more than 2,800 households, including $3.6 million in initial rental assistance.

More than 1,000 federal personnel are on the ground working the response with the state and county.

In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Green said it is too early to know whether and how the state’s rainy day fund will be used. Individual grants are a possibility in the future, but Green said he wants to spend all of the resources from off-island first.

President Joe Biden authorized 100% reimbursement for a 30-day period within the first 120 days, and Green intends to maximize that support. After that the funding split moves to 75% federal, 25% state — which can be elevated to a 90-10 federal-to-­state split, Green says.

“We’ll first want to exhaust all the federal support that we can get,” Green said. “I’m trying to be very careful with our state resources. … There is a lot of federal operations … so I can use the moneys that come in through charity or perhaps, if we need to, do grants to people who are suffering; I’ll have some of that rainy day fund to use. I’m really trying to conserve that money until we have to use it.”

Sixty days after the $30 million is spent, a report detailing the expenditures covered by the money is due to the state Legislature, as required by statute.

Retired Maj. Jeffrey D. Hickman, director of public affairs for the state Department of Defense, told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that the money will be used to pay for whatever portion of the immediate recovery is not covered by federal funds.

Sometimes the state has to pay upfront for recovery costs, and in other instances the money is due later.

“It’s money for state agencies that are assisting in support of the Maui wildfires (response),” said Hickman.

Federal assistance

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who will be working on Maui this week, told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that FEMA is doing everything possible to aid in the response and recovery. Every member of Biden’s Cabinet reached out to the members of the Hawaii congressional delegation personally, he said.

Many federal department heads are arriving on the ground and determining how their departments can plug in, Schatz said.

“Going forward, we’re going to need more resources for the kids who are not yet back in school. For the family members who have lost loved ones and need mental health services,” Schatz said. “The housing situation is temporarily alleviated …but that’s not the solution over the long run. We have to figure out how to rehouse thousands of West Maui residents.”

Debris removal, which will be managed by FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will be a “costly and lengthy enterprise,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono told the Star-Advertiser that Biden’s Aug 10 disaster declaration was crucial to unlocking “much-needed federal assistance for Hawaii.”

In addition to emergency cash payments, millions of dollars in individual and public assistance have already been, and will continue to be, disbursed, the Hawaii senator said.

As recovery efforts continue, more federal money will be needed in the coming months and years to come, and Hirono spoke with Senate colleagues, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, about the need for additional federal aid, she said.

“I’ll be working with them, as well as partners at every level of government, to secure supplemental federal relief funding for Hawaii. That includes additional funding for FEMA, to ensure it can continue its critical disaster relief work on Maui and in other communities across our country recovering from disasters,” Hirono said. “Disaster relief funding has always received strong bipartisan support, and I expect that kind of support to continue as we work to ensure all of our communities impacted by these tragic events have the support they need moving forward.”

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, whose district includes Maui, organized her second Federal Resource Fair in Lahaina on Saturday and told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that funds for temporary shelter and transitional housing for those who lost everything is an immediate need.

She is also concerned about whether enough mental health services for survivors and first responders will be available for people wherever they are.

Lahaina residents lost homes, possessions and businesses, and the collateral economic damage from the fires is threatening livelihoods in areas of Maui from Hana to Wailuku, she said.

About 750 to 1,000 businesses were eliminated by the fires, and people are struggling with shock and trauma while trying to rebuild. Federal support will help families keep food on the table and meet other basic needs, Tokuda said.

“They (businesses) employed people. They brought money into the area. They are suffering right now. A lot of support will have to come for those rebuilding efforts,” she said. “The ripple effects of this disaster are being felt everywhere. That’s where we are going to have to provide quick and continuous support.”