Worst Hawaii flooding in decades disrupts farms and produce markets

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FILE-Volunteers carry debris from a home impacted by the flood in Haleiwa, Hawaii on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Farms that help supply Hawaii’s food are facing hardships recovering after back-to-back storms in March produced the state's worst flooding in 20 years. 

State officials are encouraging farmers not to lose hope, emphasizing that local agriculture is essential to the island. 

RELATED: Hawaii flooding forces 5,500 evacuations as 120-year-old dam fears grow

The Associated Press reported that disruptions during COVID-19 stressed the need to have a local food supply in Hawaii, and the state has offered more resources to the farms, including money for infrastructure and loans for farmers denied credit from banks. 

But despite the support, many Hawaii farms are too small to afford or qualify for crop insurance. 

Hawaii flooding devastates farms

Dig deeper:

According to the Hawaii Agriculture Disaster Response website, over 600 of Hawaii's 6,500 farms reported nearly $40 million in damage, including to crops, livestock and machinery. But Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, told The Associated Press that the farm bureau estimates that the full extent of the destruction is much broader — $50 million at close to 2,000 farms. 

Furthermore, most Hawaii's farms report less than $10,000 in annual sales, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The flooding, along with high winds and power outages, killed or affected livestock and destroyed equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure. 

Hawaii's devastating flooding worst in 20 years 

Local perspective:

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told the Associated Press that the flooding was the state’s most serious since 2004, when homes and a University of Hawaii library were submerged.

Homes around the area have been damaged as officials assessed the destruction. 

Officials attributed some of the devastation to the amount of rain that fell in a short span of time. Parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Over 200 people were rescued from the rising waters, authorities told the AP, but no deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for. 

The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults from a spring break youth camp at a retreat on Oahu’s west coast. The camp is on high ground, but authorities did not want to leave them there, Green shared with the AP.