Hundreds of Big Island residents still waiting for money for properties destroyed by Kilauea eruption

By Kristen Consillio

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    HAWAII (KITV) — A huge lake with spewing lava from Kilauea formed right outside Victor Hoapili’s home in 2018.

Hoapili said he’s owed about $130,000 from a Hawaii County disaster recovery program that is helping to buy out homes of those impacted by the eruption.

Since the eruption, he’s had to move away from the Big Island and is hoping to get money to help him rebuild his life on the mainland.

“Unbelievable hardship,” he said.

He’s among the more than 700 applicants still waiting for Hawaii County officials to distribute $107 million in federal money to acquire properties deemed uninhabitable and vulnerable to future eruptions.

“It’s a setback and it shouldn’t be a setback. I shouldn’t have to go through this, nor should anyone because we are all told that money’s allocated — waiting,” Hoapili said. “So who’s sitting on it and why aren’t they spending it like they should? 2018 this came through. It’s going on 2023. That’s five years.”

As of Dec. 1, 820 residents applied to the Hawaii County Voluntary Housing Buyout Program.

The county has closed on 95 properties — expending about $17 million in total — distributing an average $179,000 per property.

“Everybody has suffered and so forth.”

County officials said the program only started early last year — with each application on average requiring over 100 hours of work to close the deal.

A county spokeswoman said the first home closed in record time in June.

She told KITV4 she understands the frustration of some applicants whose homes weren’t completely destroyed. Those homes are taking longer to buy out because of a requirement to first get an environmental review under federal rules.

“Why am I not receiving what’s due to me right away because I can never go back. I’m disabled, I’ll never go back,” he added. “So that’s the frustrating part. Money’s there, but it’s not being given to the people who deserve it the most.”

County officials — who are also dealing with the Mauna Loa eruption — said their focus is to first get money out to low-income homeowners as quickly as possible so they can get back on their feet.

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