Kauaʻi business recovery resources after Hurricane Lowell

Offices that can help a Kauaʻi business after Lowell: what each one does, its link, and phone numbers taken from each office's own page.

Start with three steps. Call the Kauaʻi SBDC at (808) 241-3148 for no-cost, one-on-one business advice. Report a power outage to KIUC at 808-246-4300, option 5. File the county business damage report, which may help Kauaʻi qualify for state and federal aid. Everything else is below.

Report your damage to the county first

The County of Kauaʻi says damage reports show how much of the island was hit and may help Kauaʻi qualify for state and federal aid. The Sept. 12 county recovery update says businesses can report damage at bit.ly/lowelldamage. The county's damage reporting page also has a separate Businesses/Farm/Ranch form. Take photos and write down what was damaged.

Free advising and money help

• Kauaʻi Small Business Development Center. No-cost, one-on-one business advice. 2970 Kele Street, Suite 101, Līhuʻe. (808) 241-3148, info@hisbdc.org. hisbdc.org/locations/kauai
• SBA disaster assistance. Physical damage loans for businesses of all sizes and eligible private nonprofits, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans for working capital. The SBA page lists business physical damage loans up to $2 million and a 12-month deferral on the first payment. SBA disaster loans are for declared disaster areas, so check for a Kauaʻi declaration before you apply. Apply at lending.sba.gov/search-disaster or call 800-659-2955. Our page on SBA disaster loans after Lowell covers what the loans require. sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
• County of Kauaʻi Office of Economic Development. Business resources, grant information, the Kauaʻi Made program, and economic data. 4444 Rice Street, Suite 200, Līhuʻe. (808) 241-4946, oed@kauai.gov. Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. kauai.gov/Government/Departments-Agencies/OED
• State DBEDT, Business Development and Support Division. State business incentives, Enterprise Zones, the Hawaiʻi Made program, and HiSTEP trade help. invest.hawaii.gov

Insurance

• Hawaiʻi Insurance Division. For a problem with a claim, start at the division's Filing a Complaint page. Check the current phone number and hours at cca.hawaii.gov/ins/consumers/filing_a_complaint. The Commissioner's Hurricane Lala and Lowell declaration is posted at cca.hawaii.gov/ins/hurricane-lala-and-lowell-declaration.

Power

• KIUC outages. Report an outage at 808-246-4300, option 5, or through SmartHub. Check the live map at kiuc.outagemap.coop. KIUC's Sept. 14 update says roughly 82 percent of members were restored and the North Shore from Moloaʻa to Hāʻena was still at 0 percent. KIUC asks members not to call just to ask about restoration times, and to email photos of downed lines or damaged equipment, with the location, to info@kiuc.coop. KIUC lists 211 for cleanup help. kiuc.coop/lowell_updates

Emergency management

• Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency. Coordinates the county's disaster response and recovery. (808) 241-1800, kema@kauai.gov, 3990 Kaana Street, Suite 100, Līhuʻe. Free cleanup help for trees, debris, and muck-out through 211, available through Sept. 25, 2026. The county says need is high and service may not reach everyone. kauai.gov/Government/Departments-Agencies/Emergency-Management-Agency
• Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Posts the Hurricane Lowell recovery resources page. (808) 733-4300. The state Department of Defense points people affected by Lowell to ready.hawaii.gov and lists a free interpreter line at 808-369-3580. dod.hawaii.gov/hiema

FEMA: requested, not yet declared

On Sept. 9 the Governor asked the President for an expedited major disaster declaration covering Kauaʻi and Maui counties, including Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and SBA loans. On Sept. 14 the congressional delegation urged approval. When we checked on Sept. 15, FEMA's current disasters page listed no Hawaiʻi declaration. To check for yourself, search for Hawaiʻi at fema.gov/disaster/declarations. At disasterassistance.gov, select Hawaiʻi under List of Disasters to see if your county is in a declared area, and apply there if Kauaʻi appears. FEMA helpline: 1-800-621-3362, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in your time zone, seven days a week.

Business networks

• Kauaʻi Chamber of Commerce. Member business directory and member events. 4268 Rice Street, Suite I, Līhuʻe. 808-245-7363, info@kauaichamber.org. kauaichamber.org
• Kauaʻi Economic Development Board. Private nonprofit founded in 1984 that supports local businesses, youth, and innovation. 9555 Kaumualiʻi Hwy, Unit 101, Waimea. (808) 245-6692. kedb.com

If your phones or email went down with the power, the free ten-second reading measures your email, site, speed, search, and trust from public records.

Questions owners ask

Which office do I call first? The Kauaʻi SBDC. Its advising is no-cost and one-on-one. Call (808) 241-3148.

Can I apply for an SBA loan before FEMA declares? Not yet. SBA disaster loans are for businesses in a declared disaster area. Build your claim folder now so you are ready if Kauaʻi is declared. SBA's disaster assistance page lists the current declared disasters.

My insurer is slow. Who do I call? The Hawaiʻi Insurance Division. Check the current number and hours at cca.hawaii.gov/ins/consumers/filing_a_complaint. Keep a log of every call with the insurer, with dates and names.

Is the 211 cleanup help for businesses too? The county page offers 211 help with trees, debris, and muck-out through Sept. 25, 2026, and does not say it is for homes only. Call and ask.

Where do I check power restoration for my block? The KIUC outage map at kiuc.outagemap.coop. Updates are posted at kiuc.coop/lowell_updates.

Sources

• Hawaiʻi SBDC, Kauaʻi Center: no-cost advising, address, phone, email. hisbdc.org/locations/kauai. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• U.S. SBA, Disaster assistance: loan types, $2 million cap, 12-month deferral, declared disaster areas, phone, apply link. sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• U.S. SBA, MySBA Loan Portal: apply link. lending.sba.gov/search-disaster. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• County of Kauaʻi, Office of Economic Development: programs, address, phone, email, hours. kauai.gov OED. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• County of Kauaʻi, Report Hurricane Lowell Property Damage: separate business form. kauai.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• County of Kauaʻi, Sept. 12 recovery update: business damage link, purpose of damage reports, photos. kauai.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• County of Kauaʻi, KEMA: mission, contact, free 211 cleanup help through Sept. 25, high need. kauai.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• State DBEDT, Business Development and Support Division: programs. invest.hawaii.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Hawaiʻi Insurance Division, Filing a Complaint: linked for the current phone number and hours. Could not be fetched on 2026-09-15 (the site returned a security challenge). cca.hawaii.gov.
• Hawaiʻi Insurance Division, Hurricane Lala and Lowell Declaration: linked. Could not be fetched on 2026-09-15 (the site returned a security challenge). cca.hawaii.gov.
• KIUC, Outage Center: reporting phone, SmartHub, outage map link. kiuc.coop/outage-center. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• KIUC, Hurricane Lowell updates, Sept. 14: 82 percent restored, North Shore, calls, photos, 211. kiuc.coop/lowell_updates. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency: Hurricane Lowell recovery resources, phone. dod.hawaii.gov/hiema. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Hawaiʻi Department of Defense release, Sept. 11: ready.hawaii.gov, interpreter line. dod.hawaii.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• FEMA, Current disasters: no Hawaiʻi declaration listed. fema.gov/disaster/current. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• FEMA, OpenFEMA disaster declarations data for Hawaiʻi: no Hurricane Lowell declaration. fema.gov API. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• FEMA, Declarations search: linked so readers can check. Could not be fetched on 2026-09-15 (access denied). fema.gov/disaster/declarations.
• DisasterAssistance.gov: list of disasters, helpline, hours. disasterassistance.gov. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Kauaʻi Now, Sept. 9: Governor's request, counties, programs. kauainownews.com. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Maui Now, Sept. 14: delegation urges approval of the Sept. 9 request. mauinow.com. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Kauaʻi Chamber of Commerce: directory, events, contact. kauaichamber.org. Fetched 2026-09-15.
• Kauaʻi Economic Development Board: founding, mission, contact. kedb.com. Fetched 2026-09-15.

Information, not legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice.