Water cut off for thousands of cattle in the Big Island’s Ka’u district
By Kristen Consillio
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KA’U, Hawaii (KITV) — Thousands of cattle on Hawaii Island are in desperate need of water after a storm destroyed their water source. Hawaii County leaders and ranchers are set to meet tomorrow to find a solution.
A lifeline for thousands of cattle in the Big Island’s Ka’u district was cut off by Hurricane Lala.
“You see hip bones, you see rib cages, like I cannot even begin to express just how dire and desperate the situation is,” said Hawaii County Councilmember Ashley Kierkiewicz. “Every single one of his storage tanks and troughs are dry to the bone.”
The storm severely damaged the water system and it’s unclear when it will be restored.
“In just my experience with disaster recovery, animals, livestock are often overlooked,” she said. “We’ve been able to identify over 6,000 livestock, 4,500 of which need water hauled in on a daily basis because of damage to the Department of Water Supply’s water system.”
Now the community is rallying together to help them survive. Over the past week, water donations have poured in every day, but it’s only a temporary solution.
“We just don’t know the extent of the damage and the availability of parts to fix the water lines at this time,” Kierkiewicz said.
While county officials are still assessing the damage, the clock is ticking. Each passing day creates an even more dire situation.
“There’s a lot of homestead ranchers down there and this is their livelihood. If they lose their cattle, they lose their livelihood,” said rancher Ryan Schultz. “Because the price of beef is so high right now, it’s not like we can buy cattle and replace them so it’s super important that we get help and water back to the Kaʻu district just to keep the cattle alive.”
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