A succession of torrential rain drenching Hawaii could help parts of Maui and Kauai counties recover from severe drought conditions.

But experts say intense rainfall causes runoff instead of replenishing ranch lands, which have been directly affected by the drought.

Before this week’s rain the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared disaster areas on Maui and Kauai because of a drought that plagued parts of those counties.

Affected ranchers and farmers are now eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency if certain requirements are met. They have eight months from the Aug. 19 disaster declaration to apply for loans to help cover losses caused by the drought.

The severe drought on Kauai covers the lower elevations from Hanapepe to Kalepa Ridge. Since mid-July, vegetation and pasture conditions in Hanapepe have remained "very poor," said Kevin Kodama, senior hydrologist at the National Weather Service.

Drought conditions have also encompassed the southeastern side of Haleakala from Kaupo to Auwahi on Maui. Ranchers in the Kaupo area have been hit the hardest and have had to wean calves earlier than normal at lower weights.

Bobby Ferreira, manager of Kaupo Ranch in the southern region, said they were forced to downsize livestock and lease temporary pastures. The ranch initiated a mitigation plan in mid-2014 in response to weather forecasts of El Nino that are strongly linked to droughts in Hawaii.

Four years ago the ranch had an estimated 1,700 cows, calves, bulls, replacement heifers and grass-finished stockers. Today the total has dropped to 1,200. Young calves were sent to the mainland.

The recent drought is by far the worst, Ferreira said.

"All we can do is pray for rain," he said.

Though rainfall this week is welcomed, experts say heavy downpours have adverse effects.

Brent Buckley, extension beef specialist of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, said, "A lot of it will run into the ocean and the streams. That’s not going to solve the problem."

Heavy rain is sometimes worse because it causes soil erosion, Buckley said. "The grass is dry. It doesn’t have the roots or leaves to stop the rain from beating the soil away," he said.

Experts say cloud cover and prolonged periods of light rain are ideal to allow water to soak into soil.

Ranch lands are dependant upon rainfall because they lack irrigation. "It’s dependant on Mother Nature to keep the grass growing," Buckley said.

Drought conditions have had a domino effect on businesses that supply products to restaurants and supermarkets.

The president of Maui Cattle Co., Alex Franco, said 26 percent of its production for the year has been affected by the drought at Kaupo Ranch, one of the company’s partners.

Maui Cattle has more than 150 customers on Maui and Oahu, and among them are Alan Wong’s restaurants, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Kihei and Kaahumanu, and Foodland supermarkets.

Warren Watanabe, executive director of the Maui County Farm Bureau, said farmers and ranchers have been advised to prepare for winter due to the predicted low-level rainfall.

"It’s going to impact all agriculture," he said.

Along with the USDA’s low-interest emergency loans, assistance is also available through other programs including the Emergency Conservation Program, the Livestock Disaster Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock.

For more information go to disaster.fsa.usda.gov.