Hawaii lawmakers say Congress should replenish disaster relief fund to help Maui and others recover

Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s congressional representatives say the nation’s disaster relief fund needs to be replenished so the U.S. government can continue to help survivors of Maui’s deadly wildfires and other disasters around the country. Hawaii Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Case called on Congress to appropriate $20.9 billion to the fund. Case told a congressional subcommittee field hearing held on Maui Wednesday that he hopes Congress will allocate the funding by the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses the fund to help communities after hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters. Case says the fund is exhausted and down to its last limits.