Ke Ala Hou, A New Path Forward: May 2026 Governor’s Message

Our islands faced back-to-back Kona Low and severe weather storms in March and April that brought heavy flooding, damaged infrastructure and disrupted the lives of families across our communities. The response from our state agencies was immediate and unwavering - from the National Guard conducting emergency evacuations in helicopters and high-water vehicles and distributing thousands of gallons of clean water, to state public health nurses providing care on the North Shore and Molokaʻi, to tax relief secured for residents and businesses who needed more time to get back on their feet.

Recovery is still underway, and my team is working to help families stabilize their lives. Our teams will continue to repair roads and infrastructure, test waterways and ocean waters for contamination and connect impacted residents with case managers who can help them navigate housing support, financial assistance and the long road ahead of recovery. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 211 to connect with disaster recovery services.

Our work does not stop at storm recovery. The challenges our communities face every day - affordability, the need for accessible healthcare, housing our homeless community and the growing threat of climate change - remain some of our top priorities. These recent storms are a reminder that climate change is not a future problem. It is here - and it is hitting our most vulnerable communities hardest.

We will continue to build a Hawaiʻi where every person has access to a place to call home roof, quality healthcare and the ability to thrive in their community. Those are the promises I made to the people of this state which remain the foundation of everything we do.

Mahalo for your strength, your aloha and your trust. We will get through this together.

Mahalo,