Hawaii County residents whose homes were damaged when a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck beneath the Big Island in May can now apply for federal disaster help. The Hawaii declaration is one of six disaster notices the U.S. Small Business Administration published in the Federal Register on Sept. 9, covering events in Hawaii, California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.

The six notices do not all offer the same help, and the difference decides who can apply. Hawaii's is a presidential major disaster declaration that reaches households. The declarations for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Texas are designated Public Assistance Only, which directs aid to governments and certain nonprofits rather than to individual homeowners and renters. California's is an SBA administrative declaration for a condominium fire, which opens low-interest federal loans.

The five presidential declarations are dated Sept. 1, and California's is dated Sept. 4. The first deadline arrives Nov. 1 for Hawaii homeowners and businesses seeking SBA physical damage loans. It is the same day state officials set as the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance tied to the earthquake.

Big Island Earthquake Opens Household Aid

The earthquake struck at 9:46 p.m. HST on May 22, about 7 miles south of Honaunau-Napoopoo at a depth of 14 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More than 7,000 people across the state reported feeling it. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said it occurred in the Pacific Plate beneath the island and was caused by the plate bending under the weight of the Hawaiian Islands, a type of flexure earthquake.

The declaration, FEMA-4936-DR, is dated Sept. 1. Hawaii County is eligible for SBA physical damage and economic injury loans, while the City and County of Honolulu and Kalawao, Kauai and Maui counties qualify for economic injury loans only, according to the Small Business Administration notice for the Hawaii earthquake declaration. Homeowners without credit available elsewhere can borrow at 2.875 percent, and businesses without credit elsewhere at 4 percent.

The insurance gap explains why household aid matters here. In a July 28 letter supporting the state's request, Hawaii's congressional delegation said state and local governments had received reports of damage to 548 homes on the island. A joint preliminary damage assessment of 313 of them found 110 homes with major structural damage or destroyed, and 105 homes lost their water-catchment systems. Only 5.2 percent of the 548 homes had a standard homeowners policy and only two had earthquake insurance, which the delegation's letter attributed to the extremely high cost of that coverage in the volcanically active region.

Gov. Josh Green said in announcing the federal approval that many families are "still dealing with significant damage to their homes, water-catchment systems and property." Depending on individual circumstances, FEMA assistance may include temporary housing, basic repairs to make a primary home safe and functional, and repair or replacement of damaged residential water-catchment systems, the state said.

The declaration covers the earthquake only. The governor's office said it is separate from recovery efforts for Hurricane Lala, which raked past the Big Island in mid-August and was blamed for two deaths. It also does not address Hurricane Lowell, which passed just west of Niihau and Kauai as a Category 2 storm on Sept. 7 and left most Kauai residents without power, NBC News reported. Federal help for storm damage would require separate action.

Public Assistance Only Means Governments Get the Money

FEMA offers two main programs after a presidential declaration. Individual Assistance helps survivors directly with uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs, such as temporary housing and home repairs. Public Assistance provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial and local governments and certain private nonprofits for debris removal, emergency protective measures and restoring public infrastructure. FEMA notes that federal aid cannot duplicate insurance and "cannot pay for all losses caused by a disaster."

Four of the six notices are Public Assistance Only. In those areas, SBA loans are limited to private nonprofits that provide essential services of a governmental nature, at 3.625 percent.

In Iowa, FEMA-4942-DR covers severe storms and flooding from July 1 to July 4 in Jasper, Polk, Story, and Warren counties. That area includes the Des Moines metro and Ames.

In Kansas, FEMA-4940-DR covers severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding from June 4 to June 15. It spans 30 counties, along with the Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.

In Missouri, FEMA-4939-DR covers severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding from July 9 to July 11. The designated counties are Bollinger, Crawford, Iron, Madison, Morgan, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington, and Wayne.

In Texas, FEMA-4935-DR covers severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding beginning July 12, with the incident period listed as continuing. Its 19 counties stretch across the Hill Country and border region, including Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie, Bandera, Uvalde, Val Verde and Maverick.

For households in those counties, the declarations mainly pay for public work such as debris removal and repairs to roads, bridges, utilities and public buildings. Residents should watch for announcements from their state emergency management agency as damage assessments continue.

A Condo Fire Behind California's Notice

California's declaration is not tied to a natural hazard. SBA issued it Sept. 4 for the Foster City Sea Spray Fire of Aug. 2 and 3, naming San Mateo County as the primary county and Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties as contiguous.

The six-alarm blaze heavily damaged a condominium complex on Sea Spray Lane and displaced more than 50 families, ABC7 News reported. Fire officials confirmed the building had no sprinklers, and the station reported it was built in 1981, before sprinklers were legally required. Affected homeowners without credit elsewhere can borrow at 3 percent, and the physical damage deadline is Nov. 3.

Deadlines, Paperwork and the Insurance Gap

SBA physical damage deadlines are Nov. 1 for Hawaii, Nov. 2 for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Texas, and Nov. 3 for California. Economic injury loan deadlines run to June 1, 2027, for the five presidential declarations and June 4, 2027, for California. Applications go through the MySBA Loan Portal or SBA's disaster customer service line at 1-800-659-2955.

Hawaii residents can apply for FEMA assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA mobile app or by calling 1-800-621-3362, according to the state. Before applying, file any insurance claim first and keep photos, videos, receipts, and repair documents, since federal programs will not pay for losses insurance already covers.

The Texas declaration's open-ended incident period means its covered dates could still change. It is not known whether any of the Public Assistance Only states will seek household aid later.

The bottom line: if you live in Hawaii County and your home was damaged in May's earthquake, Nov. 1 is the date to watch. In Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Texas, most federal help will reach residents indirectly, through repaired roads, utilities and public buildings.

What Readers Want to Know

Which states received disaster declarations in the Sept. 9 Federal Register?

The SBA published notices for Hawaii, California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Hawaii's covers the May 22 earthquake, California's covers an August condo fire, and the other four cover storms and flooding from June and July.

Can Hawaii homeowners apply for help?

Yes. The Hawaii declaration makes FEMA Individual Assistance available to eligible Hawaii County residents and opens SBA physical damage loans for homeowners and businesses there. State officials set Nov. 1 as the FEMA application deadline, and the SBA physical loan deadline is also Nov. 1.

What does Public Assistance Only mean?

It means FEMA aid goes to state, tribal, and local governments and certain nonprofits to repair public infrastructure and cover response costs. Individual households in those counties are not eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance under that designation.

Does the Hawaii declaration cover Hurricane Lala or Hurricane Lowell?

No. The declaration covers the May 22 earthquake only. The governor's office said it is separate from recovery efforts for Lala, and it does not address damage from Lowell.

Why is a condo fire listed as a disaster?

The SBA can issue its own administrative declaration for a qualifying local event, which opens low-interest loans. California's notice covers the Aug. 2 and 3 Foster City fire in San Mateo County.

What should I do before applying?

File any insurance claim first, document damage with photos, videos, and receipts, and keep repair records. Federal programs cannot pay for losses already covered by insurance.