Disastrous Drought

USDA DESIGNATES HAWAII COUNTY DISASTER AREA, FEDERAL RELIEF AVAILABLE TO FARMERS, RANCHERS

BY CHELSEA JENSEN

WEST HAWAII TODAY

cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com

A continuing lack of rainfall on Hawaii Island’s leeward side has resulted in drought conditions severe enough to garner another federal disaster declaration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Jan. 18 declared Hawaii County a natural disaster area because of ongoing drought conditions, opening avenues to local ranchers and farmers to apply for federal relief. Qualified farm and ranch operators are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the department’s Farm Service Agency to cover losses.

The designation is nothing new, said Diane Ley, the agency’s Oahu-based executive director. The county has been listed as a natural disaster area because of drought since 2006, she said.

“People have really been challenged with this drought in Hawaii County that has been going on for years,” she said. “This (emergency loan program) is a safety net for producers when they’re faced with hard times because private lending institutions may be a little hesitant to make a loan. Without this safety net, some producers could go out of business.”

All of Hawaii Island is listed as being abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor kept by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Statewide, drought has impacted every island, including Kauai.

Most of West Hawaii, ranging from Kawaihae to Pahala, is experiencing moderate or severe drought with areas in South Kohala facing extreme drought, according to the monitor. No area on Hawaii Island is without drought.

“We just haven’t had the winter rains that we are normally accustomed to,” said Kevin Kodama, National Weather Service senior hydrologist. “Especially in the Ka’u and South Kohala areas, there hasn’t been the winter rains, so those folks are getting hit hard.”

Normally, he explained, the leeward side of the island receives most of its rainfall during the winter months. However, Kona differs from that as its slopes bring more rain during the summer, he said.

In South Kohala, Kawaihae rainfall in January totaled just 0.08 inches, or 4 percent of the area’s normal 1.89 inches of rainfall, according to National Weather Service hydrology data compiled by Kodama.

Waikoloa saw just under four-tenths of an inch, or 20 percent of its normal rainfall for the month. Waimea fared worse, receiving just 6 percent of its normal rainfall at 0.45 inches, according to the hydrology data.

Heading south, the picture improves somewhat — but a few locations still received little, if any, rain in January.

At the Kaupulehu gauge, less than 0.02 inches, or 1 percent of normal rainfall was recorded. Kainaliu saw 0 percent of its normal rainfall with less than a quarter inch. Other areas in North and South Kona saw rainfall range from 6 percent to 19 percent of normal levels.

In Ka’u, South Point saw 10 percent of its normal rainfall with .45 inches, while Kahuku Ranch saw 17 percent of its normal rainfall with a half-inch. Pahala fared much better receiving 4.2 inches of rain or 81 percent of normal.

Kodama said he expects a couple weather fronts to pass through the islands in the next few weeks. However, those fronts likely won’t provide much relief to the island’s leeward side, he said.

“The way it looks, by the time it gets to Maui County and Big Island, the storms will be pretty weak,” he said. “But, everyday we are one day closer to breaking the drought because eventually it will happen.”

But, even a good, hard rain won’t necessarily alleviate the drought situation, Kodama said. Consistent and not-too-heavy rains will be the remedy.

“This drought has been so deep-seeded that one or two storms is not going to break it,” he said. “The island will need more sustained rain to give it time to soak in — but we just haven’t seen that in quite a while.”

For more information on the emergency loan program visit disaster.fsa.usda.gov or call the agency’s Big Island office at 933-8381.