By Staff Reports
HONOLULU — The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) hosted its second “Rebuild Oʻahu” event Saturday at the Lāʻie Hawaiʻi Stake Center, bringing together resources and expertise to support residents and businesses impacted by recent severe storms.
Approximately 70 households attended the event, connecting with representatives from DPP, as well as a wide range of City and State agencies, industry partners, and nonprofit organizations offering recovery assistance and guidance.
Participating organizations included:
- Building Industry Association of Hawaii
- American Institute of Architects Honolulu
- Small Business Administration
- City Department of Community Services
- City Department of Emergency Management
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Real Property Assessment
- Habitat for Humanity
- Hawaiʻi Foodbank
- PHAD
- Tidal Basin (Hawaii Emergency Management Agency)
- National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC)
- Office of Economic Revitalization (OER)
“We’re grateful for the strong turnout and the collaboration from so many partners who stepped up to support the Lāʻie community,” said DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna. “Events like this show how important it is to meet people where they are and provide the help they need to move forward.”
DPP staff assisted attendees with a range of questions, including building permits, grading requirements, flood zone regulations, and Special Management Area
guidelines. Staff also helped residents create HNL Build accounts and walked them through the permitting process step by step.
“Storm recovery can feel overwhelming, and it doesn’t happen overnight,” Apuna said. “We’re committed to walking alongside our community with one-on-one support to make the process clearer, easier, and more manageable.”
DPP will evaluate the need for additional “Rebuild Oʻahu” events in the future. In the meantime, residents affected by the recent storms can access repair information and additional resources at www.honolulu.gov/dpp.
Those who sustained storm damage are also encouraged to submit a report at oneoahu.org.