Delegates Praise USDA Disaster Declaration for Hawaii County
Farmers can access emergency loans in wake of destruction caused by Tropical Storm Iselle.
Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation are pleased with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s disaster designation for Hawaii County.
The action allows farmers to access emergency loans in the wake of the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Iselle last month.
Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote in his Sept. 3 letter to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, “USDA reviewed the Loss Assessment Reports and determined that there were sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono said in a press release today, “Much of East Hawaii’s agricultural sector including papayas, macadamia, coffee, and the floriculture and nursery industry sustained damage from Tropical Storm Iselle. The most severe loss was to papaya farmers. An estimated 60% of statewide papaya production was devastated.”
School children walk over downed power lines to board a bus in the Paradise Park section of Puna.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
Hirono added, “Preliminary assessments indicate that damage and losses due to the storm for papaya farmers is over $50 million. Many of the papaya farmers are small, family operations that did not have catastrophic crop insurance.”
Said Sen. Brian Schatz in his press release, “Many farmers in Puna are still recovering after suffering devastating crop loss due to Tropical Storm Iselle and they need our help. I thank USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack for reviewing the Loss Assessment Reports and for issuing a Secretarial natural disaster designation for Hawaii County. Support from the USDA will help ensure that our farmers in Hawaii County will receive the assistance they need.”
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, meanwhile, had this to say: “Our neighbors in Puna, volunteers, utility workers, and local and state agencies are working hard to rebuild and move forward. We must continue to support them however we can throughout the difficult process of recovery.”
And here is comment from Rep. Colleen Hanabusa: “As someone who had the opportunity to see firsthand the destruction that Hurricane Iselle left befind, I am pleased that Secretary Vilsack understands the vital role our agriculture industry plays in sustaining our small, rural communities, and I thank him for making federal assistance available for those farmers who are trying to recover from the storm.”
She added, “It was extremely disappointing that the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied our state’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration to provide individual assistance for the victims of Iselle, but I will continue to seek alternatives avenues of funding to address these critical needs.”
The FEMA decision is being appealed.
In related news, in a tweet today Schatz said, “Heading back to HI island today, to discuss more fed support for Puna recovery, albizia issue, and lava flow.”
