[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FLOODING IN HAWAII

  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, Hawaii experienced its worst flooding in 
more than 20 years last month. Two storms, less than 2 weeks apart, 
whipped up hurricane force winds of up to 135 miles per hour and dumped 
more than 62 inches of rain in parts of the State.
  All told, nearly 2 trillion gallons of water fell from the sky 
statewide, enough to fill 3 million Olympic-sized swimming pools, and 
the resulting damage was widespread and it was severe.
  It all started on March 10 when the first storm known as a Kona low 
brought close to 10 inches of rain over 4 days and broke daily rainfall 
records on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, and Kauai. The powerful winds and 
heavy rain flooded homes, toppled power lines, and shuttered schools 
and businesses.
  Over 100,000 people lost power, but before people could even begin to 
recover, a second storm quickly followed just days later delivering 
more than a foot of rain. But the ground was still saturated from the 
previous storm and drainage capacity was overwhelmed, and so flooding 
got worse across the State.
  More than 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate and seek cover in 
shelters and schools. Homes were lifted off of their foundations, cars 
floated out of driveways, roads and highways became inaccessible, crops 
washed away on farms and fields.
  But amid the devastation, rocked by relentless rain, Hawaii's aloha 
spirit prevailed. We saw it in the heroic emergency responders who 
rescued hundreds of people who were stuck in danger with no way to get 
out. We saw it in all the people rushing to check in on their 
neighbors, sharing information on social media in realtime, and helping 
to clean up the debris and the mud once the rain passed.
  Farmers who lost their own fields instead went to help their 
neighbors to rebuild.
  Businesses spring into action to hand out supplies and hot meals, 
despite losing sales and incurring damages of their own. That is 
Hawaii. No one is a stranger, especially in time of need. And everybody 
pitches in.
  Recovering from a disaster of this magnitude will take months and 
years. Homes, roads, schools, and hospitals were flooded and badly 
damaged and will need to be rebuilt. And doing so requires resources, 
which is why the Trump administration's approval of Governor Josh 
Green's disaster declaration request was so important.
  As with disasters in the past, these Federal dollars will support 
cleanup and repairs, as well as help residents to get back on their 
feet through individual assistance.
  The State and county governments are doing everything that they can 
to help people recover fully and quickly, but they cannot do it alone. 
They need help.
  The Federal Government has a responsibility to share the burden of 
rebuilding. And while the approval of a disaster declaration is a very 
important and good first step, it is just that. It is a first step.
  In the months and the years ahead, we will need to be there to 
provide support and resources in any way we can, until the affected 
people and communities are made whole once again.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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