County agriculture department encourages ranchers, farmers, producers to prep before storm

The County of Maui Department of Agriculture encourages all ranchers, farmers and producers to finalize preparations ahead of Tropical Storm Lala, which is anticipated to strengthen into a hurricane before impacting Hawaiʻi Island as early as Saturday.

The storm is anticipated to bring dangerous winds, heavy rain, flooding and large waves to Hawaiʻi Island, Maui County and other islands this weekend. Five to 10 inches of rain is predicted for Maui and the Big Island, National Weather Service said. Also, the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide may cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.

County Department of Agriculture encourages the following preparations to protect high-risk areas: 

• Livestock and animal safety: Move animals to pastures on higher ground or secure locations early (aim for 72 hours before the storm). Do not lock livestock in buildings vulnerable to collapse or flooding. Verify stock identification (tags, brands, microchips) and stockpile one to two weeks of feed, water and essential medications.
• Farm infrastructure and equipment: Test generators, top off fuel tanks and disconnect electricity to nonessential equipment. Secure greenhouses, barns and trailers. Move loose tools, irrigation lines and chemicals to high ground, and fill empty water tanks to weigh them down.
• Documentation and administrative prep: Take pre-storm photos and videos of farm conditions, update asset inventories, compile an emergency contact list (veterinarian, staff, utilities), and store insurance and financial records in waterproof containers or upload them to cloud storage for potential disaster relief claims. 

For more information, contact the County Department of Agriculture at 808-270-8276 or agriculture@mauicounty.gov. To access recovery resources, visit mauicounty.gov/agriculture and click on Get Disaster Support.

For the latest weather information, visit National Weather Service Honolulu at weather.gov/hfo and subscribe to Genasys Protect and Maui Emergency Management Agency alerts at mauicounty.gov/mema.