People like Tua, dependent on home rainwater catchment, may face months of hauling water from faucets attached to fire hydrants along highways. Cars and trucks line up, waiting for their turn at the spigots. Residents can order several thousand gallons at a time from private haulers, but the waiting list is getting longer. So far, most people take it in stride. The drought isn't nearly as bad as the two hurricanes that hit him when he lived on Kauai, Apana said.
People are polite.
Financial losses are just beginning, Kim said. Crop losses have to total at least 35 percent of normal production before federal assistance will pay farmers for some of their economic losses, but that's three to six months away, said Lee Kunitake of U.S. Farm Service Agency. The drought gives a temporary boost to some crops like macadamias. For Kona, this is the normal dry season anyway, he said. That's small comfort for Yamashiro in Volcano.