Federal disaster declared for Maui County drought

The federal government has approved Gov. David Ige’s request to declare a federal disaster for Maui County amid worsening drought conditions.

Ige requested the federal disaster declaration due to the prolonged drought and issued an emergency proclamation for the county after ranchers and farmers suffered significant economic losses, including damage caused by large numbers of axis deer migrating into agricultural and developed areas seeking food and water.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack approved the request for a secretarial agricultural disaster declaration, the state said Tuesday.

“While the county has been dealing with heavy rain this week, that does not cure the damage caused by the prolonged drought,” Ige said in a news release. “The federal drought disaster declaration will allow our farmers and ranchers access to federal aid programs and assist them in recovery efforts.”

The designation makes agricultural operations in the county eligible for consideration for certain assistance, including emergency loans, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.

Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, added that the state Department of Agriculture “is currently reviewing about 60 applications for state grants to assist agricultural operations that have suffered damage caused by axis deer populatiosn intensified by drought in the county.”