DISASTER RELIEF FOR HAWAII

DISASTER RELIEF FOR HAWAII

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)] [House] [Page H2714] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DISASTER RELIEF FOR HAWAII (Ms. Tokuda of Hawaii was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. TOKUDA. Madam Speaker, last week, two back-to-back storms brought the most catastrophic flooding Hawaii has seen in over 20 years: landslides, washed-out roads, emergency evacuations, and destruction in every single county. What we saw during these Kona lows was a hard truth: Nature will find a way, and water will go where she wants. We grew up preparing for hurricane season. That was a threat that we knew. Now, disasters don't wait their turn. Hawaii experiences wildfires and floods year-round. What we are experiencing today is more than our infrastructure was ever built to handle. I saw it firsthand. Roads ripped apart as water surged through storm drains too small to contain it. Four feet of rock and silt slammed against guardrails, pushed down from the mountains. Fields flattened where water jumped its bank, bypassed overgrown ditches, and raced toward the ocean. In its path were homes, cars, farms, hospitals, schools, churches, entire communities, our ``family''; ``ohana.'' Madam Speaker, even in our darkest hour, I also saw Hawaii at its very best: neighbors showing up for our neighbors, no one waiting to be asked; volunteers feeding families; and first responders and healthcare workers going above and beyond. That is aloha. That is who we are. Now, we must match that same spirit with action. We need a whole-of- government approach in response right now: disaster, SNAP, and hot food waivers for families who can't access their kitchens; debris removal so that people can begin to rebuild; the Army Corps of Engineers clearing and dredging our waterways; EPA testing soil and water to keep our communities safe from whatever ran off the farms or the mountainsides behind them; and National Health Corps support for wound care, mental health, and recovery that doesn't end when the water recedes. {time} 1015 To every ``family,'' ``ohana,'' to every friend, and member of our community back home in Hawaii clearing out the mud, mourning what was lost, searching for some stable ground again, you are not alone. We see you. We will always be standing with you. We will not stop fighting to bring every possible resource to help our communities recover, rebuild, and come back even stronger. ____________________