Hawaii farmers are still assessing damage from the system that just passed, as most residents get ready for the wet weather ahead.

The Hawaii Farm Bureau said damage to agricultural crops and infrastructure is in the millions.

The executive director of the Farm Bureau said the effects from the Kona Low on local agriculture are still being measured, even though the system from the past weekend has come and gone.

“This Kona Low was terrible for the local farmers and ranchers, all of agriculture here in the State of Hawaii. Lots of times, like the 2018 Kauai floods, it’s limited to certain areas. This Kona Low hit all over our islands and pretty much all areas of the islands,” said Brian Miyamoto, Hawaii Farm Bureau executive director.

The owner of Thrive Hawaii Family Farm on Oahu’s north shore is estimating his losses — both to infrastructure and crops — in the thousands.

“If I had to estimate, like 60-70% percent of the property was underwater for 72 hours maybe,” said Thrive Hawaii Family Farm owner and operator Jason Whitte. “After years of doing this, sometimes you don’t know the extent of the damage until a lot later. If you have like stagnant water in an anaerobic environment, sometimes rot sets in, and it takes a while to get going. The erosion, the loss of nutrients in your soil, maybe some fungus, different things.”

The Farm Bureau and other local agriculture organizations launched a statewide rapid assessment tool on Tuesday, March 17, for farmers and ranchers to report damage. The survey reflected over $5 million in losses in just 48 hours.

“That’s a lot of money, and again, it’s still early, we’re not out of it, as you can see it’s raining now,” Miyamoto said. “First of all, doing the survey, assessing what the needs are, and then identifying those resources so we can get the producers back into farming and ranching.”

Miyamoto said Hawaii currently has about 60-65% less papayas available in stores due to drought conditions in 2025, and production could be hindered by all the recent rain.

“You add on this Kona Low, we’re not sure what it’s going to be like, papayas among other of our fruits, other crops. Again, we will see a reduction until our farmers and ranchers can recover,” Miyamoto said.

Source - https://www.msn.com