What are my risks?
How does drought affect me
in the short-term?
Droughts
increase the potential for wildland
fires.
Farmers,
cattle ranchers, and people using water catchment systems are
the most severely affected by drought.
Sumner
Erdman of Ulupalakua Ranch estimated that the cattle operation
stands to lose up to $500,000 in the next three to five years
as a result of the drought conditions on Maui. Click
here to read the full article from the Star Bulletin.
Photo
by Gary T. Kubota,
Courtesy of the Star-Bulletin
How does drought affect me
in the medium-term?
Drought
exacerbates the problem of ensuring a sustainable yield of potable
water. Since Hawaii is an island state, this is particularly critical.
Failure to take appropriate action could result in Hawaii not
having sufficient quantity and quality of water resources to sustain
future population and industry.
The State’s
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has estimated
that within 25 years groundwater on Oahu will have to be supplemented
with other sources to keep up with the demand.
Source:
Drought and Wildland Fire Mitigation Plan, Department of Defense,
Civil Defense Division, Dec 1998.
Maui County’s Most Severe Droughts
Droughts
have impacted almost every island in Hawaii with the most severe
ones in the past 15 years associated with the El Nino phenomenon.
During the El Nino years, droughts have occurred during the winter-spring
period.
|
YEAR
|
REMARKS
|
| 1908
|
Serious
drought on Maui |
| 1953 |
Water
rationing on Maui; pineapple production on Molokai reduced
by 30%; rainfall 40% less than normal. |
| 1962
|
State-declared
disaster for Maui; crop damage, cattle deaths, and severe
fire hazards; losses totaled $200,000 for Hawaii and Maui
|
| 1971 |
Irrigation
and domestic water users sharply curtailed on Maui |
| 1977-78 |
State-declared
disaster for Maui |
| 1980-81 |
State-declared
disaster for Maui; heavy agricultural and cattle losses; damage
totaling at least $1.4 on Hawaii and Maui |
| 1996 |
Declared
drought emergency for Maui and Molokai; heavy damages to agriculture
and cattle industries; losses totaling at least $9.4 million
on Hawaii, Maui, and Molokai |
| 1998 |
State-declared
drought emergency for Maui |
| 1999,
2000 |
State-declared
drought emergency for Maui |
Source:
State Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Weather
Service, State Civil Defense Division