Farmers across the state have so far reported more than $7 million in damages from the storms this month.
The data comes from an online dashboard set up by Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi to track the impacts of the recent storm on local agriculture. It also allows farmers to report damages and find assistance specific to their needs.
The damage was at $5 million as of Thursday afternoon, but overnight, a second Kona low brought rains that battered Oʻahu, which was still recovering from the low that hit the island last weekend.
So far the dashboard says Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island have each reported around $2 million or more in damages — mostly to crops due to flooding and high winds. More than 1,000 acres of agricultural land have been impacted so far.
Brian Miyamoto, the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau’s executive director, said that last week’s flooding caused widespread damage to farmers.
“This is everybody — small, medium, large, all these different commodities. It wasn't just the rains and the floods, it was the wind blowing things down — shade, cloth, greenhouses and other things. And then some people had power loss,” Miyamoto said.
The goal of the dashboard is also to quantify damages for policymakers, who can then properly distribute aid to farmers.
“We're trying to assess really what that impact is, but more so (we’re) trying to identify those resources that we can go and support the farmers and the ranchers that are going to need some help in this recovery,” Miyamoto added.
The farm bureau, the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union and the Hawaiʻi Cattlemen's Council partnered with Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi to create the dashboard. Farmers can still report their damages on the dashboard.
