Hurricane Lowell Approaches Hawaii, Federal Emergency Preparations Underway

A major storm making landfall in a U.S. State triggers federal disaster response authorities and tests the coordination between FEMA, the National Weather Service, and state emergency management...

Hurricane Lowell turned northward and was projected to pass close to the Hawaiian island chain overnight Monday into Tuesday, September 8, 2026, bringing hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall to Kauai and surrounding islands, according to CBS News reporting from the scene.

The storm's approach activates a defined chain of federal authorities under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), which governs how the federal government responds to natural disasters affecting U.S. States and territories. Under that statute, the governor of Hawaii may request a presidential major disaster declaration, which unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency resources including individual assistance grants, public assistance funds for infrastructure repair, and hazard mitigation grants.

As of the date of publication, no presidential major disaster declaration for Hurricane Lowell had been posted to the FEMA disaster declarations database at fema.gov/disaster/declarations. It is unknown whether Governor Josh Green had formally submitted a request to the White House. The document that would confirm such a request is the governor's formal letter to the president, which becomes part of the public FEMA declaration record.

FEMA maintains a statutory obligation under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) to pre-position supplies and coordinate with state emergency management offices in advance of anticipated landfall. Whether FEMA activated a pre-landfall deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams or logistics staging for Hawaii is not confirmed in available public records as of this report.

The National Weather Service, an agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Department of Commerce, issues official track and intensity forecasts through its Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu. Those forecasts carry legal weight for triggering mandatory evacuation orders at the county level under Hawaii state law.

Hawaii's four counties, Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai, each maintain their own emergency management offices and have independent authority to order evacuations. CBS News correspondent Carter Evans reported from Kauai, which sits on the northwestern end of the main Hawaiian island chain and would face exposure depending on the storm's precise track.

Federal funding exposure for a major Hawaii hurricane can be substantial. For comparison, FEMA obligated approximately 1.7 billion dollars in public assistance funds for Hawaii following significant weather events between 2018 and 2023, according to the USASpending.gov federal assistance database. The final cost of Hurricane Lowell's impact, if a disaster declaration is issued, would be recorded in that same database under the relevant disaster number.

The U.S. Military's Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered at Camp H.M. Smith on Oahu, operates under Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) authority when requested by FEMA or state officials. Whether any DSCA request had been made as of publication is unknown. The document confirming such a request would be a formal mission assignment issued by FEMA to the Department of Defense, which is subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Congress appropriates disaster relief funds through supplemental appropriations bills following major declared disasters when FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is insufficient. The DRF's current balance as of the most recent Treasury Department daily statement is not confirmed in the source material available for this report. The monthly DRF activity report, published by FEMA on its website, would show current obligations and available balances.

What remains unknown is whether a presidential emergency or major disaster declaration will be issued, what the precise track and intensity of Hurricane Lowell will be at landfall, and what the total federal cost obligation will be. The FEMA disaster declarations page, the USASpending.gov federal assistance portal, and official National Weather Service advisories from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center are the public records that will answer each of those questions as the storm progresses.