Noy Soukrasmy and her husband, Somchai, run 16 acres of farm land right next to Otake Camp on Oʻahu’s North Shore.
Two weeks ago the camp experienced some of the worst flooding in the state from the recent Kona low storms, but so did Soukrasmy and about half a dozen other farmers who tend to about 50 acres total next door.
Much of the land next to the camp is still covered in at least half-a-foot of mud, now dry and cracked — and unusable for farming.
“It's going to take us, as farmers, at least six months before we can actually produce, because we have to clean the thick, thick mud off,” Soukrasmy said Wednesday at her farm. “There's no way that we can till and then plant, because we have to take care of everything that's underneath, which is the mulch film, the dripline, the irrigation.”
Soukrasmy is one of the few farmers who also live at Otake Camp. Her residence was spared from flood damage, but it’s a different story for her and the other farmers there.
Most are facing significant crop loss — squash, tomatoes, long beans, and other fruits and vegetables are now wilted and dead, if they weren’t washed away or covered completely.
Nearly all the papaya trees, which usually wear crowns of large leaves when healthy, are now bald.
On Wednesday the U.S. National Guard was there working to remove debris from the main access roads that provide access to the farms.
They’ll be there for a few more days, as some of the mud is still too soft for the heavy machinery being used to scoop and haul excess mud and other flood debris.
Soukrasmy is hoping the military can clear out some of the farming area. Otherwise, the farmers will just have to use shovels to clear the acres of mud themselves.
“Our tractors are not usable. They're dead,” she said.
She estimates they've lost tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and infrastructure, like tractors and fencing material.
But they don’t have full access to the farm yet, so the costs could grow.
“Once the landowners turn on the water, we don't know where else the irrigation is … cracked and open,” Soukrasmy said.
The couple has started an online fundraiser, where they note that they moved to Hawaiʻi just two years ago, and with no prior farming experience.
Meanwhile, there are some local resources available specifically for flood-impacted farmers. The state Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity has offered emergency loans, and the state is waiting on potential disaster funds from the federal government.
But while looking over a part of her farm covered in mud and debris, Soukrasmy said the extent of the flooding can still be overwhelming, even when just thinking about it.
“What have I lost? What I've gained, I know — I've gained trees, debris, boulders, refrigerators,” she said. “Just to be light-hearted about it … You have to take it one at a time, because if you stress over it, you don't know where to begin. Everybody feels like that. Where do we start? What do we do?”
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