Drought Preparedness

With Hawaii’s limited water resources and growing water demands, droughts will continue to adversely affect the environment, economy, and the residents of the State. Preparing for drought is critical to mitigating its impacts. Aggressive planning is necessary to make wise decisions regarding the allocation of water at the present time, and conserving water resources for generations to come. Below are some resources related to drought planning and preparedness.

Hawaii Drought Plan

The goal of the Hawaii Drought Plan is to develop coordinated emergency response mechanisms, while at the same time outlining steps towards mitigating the effects of future drought occurrences. The key elements to a successful drought plan are outlined as follows:

A comprehensive rainfall pattern and climate monitoring system to provide early warning of emerging droughts to decision makers, stakeholders, and the general public.
A network of people and/or organizations who can effectively assess evolving impacts of water shortages on agriculture, recreation, hydropower, municipal and domestic water supplies, wildlife, and other areas that are sensitive to reduced rainfall and fluctuations in water supply.
Clear policies and establishment of response entities to implement immediate and short-term response measures to reduce drought impacts and longer-term mitigation measures to reduce the future impacts of drought.

The Hawaii Drought Plan should also include a description of historical occurrences, climatological statistics, risk assessments of susceptibility and vulnerability to drought, as well as identification of potential impacts related to specific geographical locations. The plan emphasizes identification of pre- and post-drought preparedness and mitigation measures for implementation by government agencies, stakeholders, and the general public. The Hawaii Drought Plan establishes a leadership structure comprised of the: 1) Hawaii Drought Council; 2) State Drought Coordinator; 3) Water Resources Committee; and 4) County/Local Drought Committees.

Participation in these groups is designed to include, but not be limited to, individuals and/or organizations that can best share their expertise and familiarity about local issues, resources, and priorities regarding drought preparedness and response. Perhaps, more importantly, membership in these committees should be comprised of individuals who can effectively communicate and interact with their constituents with regard to implementation of mitigation measures established as part of the plan.

The Plan also proposes development of a public outreach component consisting of drought- related projects, educational-based programs, and development and initiation of statewide water conservation measures. In addition, the drought plan makes several recommendations regarding performance of risk management assessments pertaining to potential drought impacts.

In April 2005, the Commission on Water Resource Management has updated the Hawaii Drought Plan with assistance from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The HDP has been forwarded to Reclamation for consideration of submission to Congress under Title II, Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, as amended (P.L. 102-250 and 106-566). The HDP is intended to be a living document and will be updated from time to time as new information becomes available or as updates become necessary.

Hawaii Drought Plan, Feb. 2005 Update [8.9MB]

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County Drought Mitigation Strategies

In 2004, County Drought Committees were formed for each of the four counties in Hawaii. Each of these Committees developed a drought mitigation strategy for their respective counties, focusing on drought mitigation projects. These county drought mitigation strategies are incorporated by reference into the Hawaii Drought Plan and demonstrate local needs and concerns for drought mitigation in each county. To review these documents, click on the links below:

County of Kauai Drought Mitigation Strategies, October 2004
City and County of Honolulu Drought Mitigation Strategies, November 2004
County of Maui Drought Mitigation Strategies, October 2004
County of Hawaii Drought Mitigation Strategies, October 2004

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Drought Risk and Vilnerability

The State of Hawaii is seriously affected by drought approximately every 2 years with significant agricultural losses, water shortages, and wildland fires. In support of the State Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), in cooperation with the Hawaii Drought Council (HDC), sought the development of a Statewide Drought Risk and Vulnerability Assessment. This statewide assessment utilized Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping techniques to identify areas at risk of meteorological, hydrologic, and agricultural drought, as well as environmental and socioeconomic impacts that may occur due to drought conditions. Click the link below to view the report.

Drought Risk and Vilnerability Assessment and GIS Mapping Project

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Other Drought Mitigation Sources

Below are additional sources of information on drought planning and preparedness. The links are not arranged in any particular order.

National Drought Mitigation Center

The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) provides links to a host of drought mitigation tools from various sources (associations, non-profits, educational institutions, businesses, and government agencies) that help agricultural producers prepare for drought occurrences.

National Integrated Drought Information System

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was established under the National Drought Policy Act of 1998 to ensure collaboration between different government agencies on drought-related issues. They developed the U.S. Drought Portal, an interactive web portal that serves to be an early warning system for emerging and anticipated droughts.

Preparedness and Mitigation Working Group

The Preparedness and Mitigation Working Group of the Western Drought Coordination Council developed a guide entitled, How to Reduce Drought Risk, that provides a step-by-step process for identifying actions that can be taken to reduce potential drought-related impacts before a drought occurs.

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) provides ideas on water, land, and crop management to consider while creating a drought plan for farms and ranches.

Hawaii Statewide Hazard Mitigation Forum

The Hawaii Statewide Hazard Mitigation Forum helps to raise public awareness about how to reduce property loss due to natural hazards. Forum members represent county, state, and federal agencies, as well as the private sector.

Hawaii State Department of Forestry and Wildlife

Fire hazard is high during times of drought. The Hawaii State Department of Forestry and Wildlife provides maps of fire response areas, as well as information on fire prevention in the State of Hawaii.

Western Governors' Association Drought Initiative

The Western Governors' Association adopted a report entitled, "Creating a Drought Early Warning System for the 21st Century: The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)", that will provide water userswith the ability to assess their drought risk in real time and before the onset of drought, in order to make informed decisions that may mitigate a drought’s impacts.

Pacific Disaster Center

The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) is an information and technology center, integrating various technologies for disaster management, with the sole purpose of reducing disaster risks and impacts to peoples' lives and property in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions and beyond.

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Water Conservation

Taking steps to conserving water use is important to protecting and preserving Hawaii's water resources. Conservation becomes even more important during drought when water supplies are low. The Commission on Water Resource Management developed two documents that provide detailed information on how to implement a number of water efficient practices that will result in waste reduction and increased levels of conservation.

Prototype Water Conservation Plan for the DLNR [11.1 MB]
Water Conservation Manual for State of Hawaii Facilities [5.5 MB]