The County of Maui Department of Agriculture encourages all ranchers, farmers and producers to finalize preparations ahead of Tropical Storm Nolo, which is forecast to strengthen and bring heavy rain, high winds and flash flooding to Maui County.

At 11:19 a.m. today, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Maui County, indicating that tropical storm-force winds are possible within 48 hours.

County Department of Agriculture encourages the following preparations to protect high-risk areas:

• Livestock and animal safety: Move animals to pastures on higher ground. Do not lock livestock in buildings vulnerable to collapse or flooding. Verify stock identification (tags, brands, microchips) and stockpile one to two weeks of feed, water and essential medications.

• Farm infrastructure and equipment: Test generators, top off fuel tanks and disconnect electricity to nonessential equipment. Secure greenhouses, barns and trailers. Move loose tools, irrigation lines and chemicals to high ground, and fill empty water tanks to weigh them down.

• Documentation and administrative prep: Take pre-storm photos and videos of farm conditions, update asset inventories, compile an emergency contact list (veterinarian, staff, utilities), and store insurance and financial records in waterproof containers or upload them to cloud storage for potential disaster relief claims.

For more information, contact the County Department of Agriculture at (808) 270-8276 or agriculture@mauicounty.gov. To access recovery resources, visit www.mauicounty.gov/agriculture and click on Get Disaster Support.

For the latest weather information, visit National Weather Service Honolulu at weather.gov/hfo and subscribe to Genasys Protect and Maui Emergency Management Agency alerts at mauicounty.gov/mema.