Hawaii lawmakers briefed on Kona Low farm damage as presenters urge disaster declaration and immediate aid

On April 1, members of joint Senate and House agriculture and environment committees in Honolulu heard that the March Kona Low storms have caused extensive damage to farms and ranches across the state, with more than 380 producers reporting about $23 million in direct losses so far and presenters warning losses could rise substantially when economic multipliers are applied.

Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, told the committees that “resilience does not replace resources” and that without prompt, targeted support the state risks reducing agricultural production and losing producers. Miyamoto and other speakers said a presidential disaster declaration (the governor submitted a request on March 24) would unlock FEMA, USDA and other federal programs that can accelerate recovery.

The briefing assembled producer groups and state agencies to outline current aid and outstanding gaps. Hunter Hevelin, advocacy director with the Hawaii Farmers Union, described a disaster reporting tool in live use since March 15 that shows initial survey totals (roughly $23 million reported, roughly 2,700 livestock lost and nearly 3,500 acres reported) and stressed the data are underreported. He identified several bills committee members may consider to aid recovery, including HB 1707 (interisland transport cost aid), HB 2594 (a study of insurance coverage for small operations) and SB 2110 (a soil health and conservation incentive proposal).

Dean Matsukawa, deputy director of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, described state actions already under way: the Board of Agriculture activated an emergency loan program offering loans up to $100,000 at 3% interest (applications open for six months; Dean said there would be no denials for loans $50,000 or less) and the department ran an emergency relief grant round of about $1,500 per award that produced roughly 1,700 applications against roughly $500,000 in available funding. Matsukawa provided preliminary acreage ranges (roughly 12,405 to 23,782 acres reported damaged) and estimated loss ranges that echoed the survey totals presented by producers.

Presenters listed federal programs that would be important if a disaster declaration is approved, including FEMA assistance, USDA emergency programs (FSA emergency loans, ELAP, TAP, LIP, NAP, federal crop insurance, EWP, EQIP) and SBA emergency loans, but also warned that many Hawaii farms — especially smaller and diversified operations — are not enrolled in those programs and can struggle with application complexity and eligibility.

Other presenters highlighted long-term recovery needs beyond immediate aid. Suzanne Shriner of the Synergistic Hawaii Agricultural Council noted the ECP (Emergency Conservation Program) had been funded and provides roughly 75% of cleanup costs for erosion and debris removal, and she urged investments in soil protection and updated soil classifications. Producers and advocates repeatedly called for flexible grant funding rather than loans, faster deployment of assistance and improved outreach for language- and culture-specific communities.

The briefing concluded with Q&A but no formal votes; committee members asked about the status of the presidential disaster declaration, use of state rainy day funds, loan deferrals and county coordination to access NRCS emergency watershed protection programs. Presenters said FEMA and HIEMA were conducting assessments and that timing for a declaration can vary; they also noted the state and counties are exploring additional appropriations and administrative relief to bridge producers to federal programs.

Next steps identified by speakers include continued data collection through the farmers' survey, coordination with counties to request NRCS and EWP support where appropriate, possible budget or ceiling adjustments to expand the state loan program, and legislative hearings on the bills mentioned during the briefing.