Schatz: $2.25 Million Headed To Puna To Help Kilauea Recovery, Improve Resiliency

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the County of Hawai‘i will receive $2,251,163 in new federal funding to help Puna recover from the 2018 Kilauea eruption and improve resiliency for future natural disasters.

This grant will go toward rebuilding the area's wastewater collection and treatment system, which was damaged in 2018. By funding the creation of a new, centralized system — instead of repairing the previous cesspool system — these funds will help the community recover in a cleaner and safer way.

“This grant will help create a centralized waste treatment system that's safer for Puna families and improves the resiliency of the community,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As we recover from the 2018 natural disasters, we’ll keep fighting for more federal funding at every opportunity so we can rebuild stronger than before.”

This grant comes from the Economic Adjustment Assistance program, administered by the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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