When will state seek federal aid for homeowners affected by lava?

Following the destruction Monday of the first home in Pahoa to be hit by the advancing lava flow, one question is likely on the minds of many homeowners in the area.

When will the state request federal assistance for individual homeowners and renters as a result of the June 27 lava flow?

There are no specific benchmarks by which the state measures such a decision, explained Shelly Kunishige, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, which oversees Hawaii County Civil Defense. However, much depends on the amount of damage that homeowners will experience in the coming weeks or months.

“Usually, there is no official threshhold,” she said Tuesday. “There are indicators, and in the case of individual assistance, the state and county need to prove it’s beyond the combined resources of the county and state to help out individual homeowners.”

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not give a particular number in regards to the number of houses that must either be damaged or destroyed, the state does have an informal minimum, she said.

“On the state side, at least over 170 homes must be affected. But there’s no hard and fast number,” Kunishige said. “It’s an indicator we need to look at.”

A number of qualifications that would indicate whether a home remains liveable would be subject to various factors, including how much damage it sustains, and whether the surrounding environment, including air quality, is such that homeowners cannot remain.

Hawaii County Civil Defense will continue to keep track of damage incurred by homeowners and feed that information to the state and to FEMA representatives. Should the state decide that it needs assistance from the federal government, Gov. Neil Abercrombie or his successor will draft a request to President Barack Obama. If the request meet’s FEMA’s requirements, the president would declare a disaster and open federal coffers to provide assistance.

If requested and approved, assistance would be provided to those without insurance and to fill in gaps in residents’ insurance policies, according to FEMA spokeswoman Kelly Hudson. No duplication of coverages would be allowed.

“An assessement would look at how many homes affected had insurance,” she said.

A request for FEMA individual assistance was approved after the destructive lava flows between 1983 and 1997 that impacted Kalapana and Royal Gardens.

A total of 183 area residents received payouts of totaling $525,283 for disaster housing, and 119 received individuals and families grants totaling $1,039,708.30.

The county and state requested FEMA funding following the destruction wrought on Puna following Tropical Storm Iselle. In that case, a request for public assistance — to help the county and state recoup costs associated with response and repairs to public roadways, cleanup, and more — was approved in September, but individual assistance for homeowners was not approved.

However, the president did declare on Nov. 3 a disaster with respect to opening up funding to help Hawaii County and the state in their efforts to respond to the lava. Officials have scheduled applicant briefings on Tuesday from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency at 920 Ululani St., Hilo, and on Wednesday from 1-2:30 p.m. at the HEMA offices in Honolulu.

“Representatives of state, county and certain private, nonprofit organizations that have already taken emergency protective measures, or are anticipating taking emergency protective measures, in response to the Pu‘u ‘O‘o lava flow are encouraged to attend,” reads a Wednesday afternoon press release from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. “… Interested private non-profit organizations are encouraged to call prior to the briefings to receive a sample documentation packet.”

HEMA can be reached at (808) 733-4300.

Meanwhile, FEMA is still processing requests related to Iselle and it’s “not clear yet when money will be on the street for either disaster yet,” Hudson said.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune- herald.com.

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune- herald.com.