Hurricane Helene has devastated a lot of the Southeast. SESE’s headquarters escaped unscathed, however we’re deeply saddened by the lack of life and the harm to household farms. We rounded up some sources designed to assist farmers and growers as we head into restoration.
Some of the essential issues you’ll want to do is doc the harm. Collect proof earlier than starting any clean-up. If attainable, doc harm with dated images, movies, and third-party verification (non-family if attainable). This info will help you get the help you deserve from varied sources.
Hold notes in your harm, bills, and repairs. Observe:
- Harm
- Obligatory repairs
- Prices related to repairs
- Receipts for something repair-related
If attainable, delay repairs till you obtain approval from the Farm Service Company (FSA). Doc any emergency repairs you have to make, like fencing repairs for livestock.
Monitor Livestock Fastidiously
Any livestock uncovered to flood waters ought to be monitored fastidiously within the coming weeks, even when they seem positive proper now. Micro organism in flood waters could cause pores and skin circumstances and infections.
USDA Sources
The USDA has a lot of applications designed to assist farmers get well from hurricane harm. Listed below are among the ones you’ll be able to look into:
Noninsured Crop Catastrophe Help Program (NAP)
NAP supplies monetary help when pure disasters trigger low crop yields, crop loss, or delayed planting for uninsured crops.
Tree Help Program (TAP)
TAP assists orchardists and nursery growers in replanting or rehabilitating eligible bushes, bushes, and vines broken by pure disasters.
Emergency Help for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP)
ELAP supplies monetary help to qualifying farmers who’ve misplaced animals, honeybees, or farm-raised fish throughout sure pure disasters.
Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
LIP supplies help to farmers who’ve had an extra of livestock deaths as a result of pure disasters. LIP funds are equal to 75 p.c of the typical truthful market worth of the livestock.
The Environmental High quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
EQIP is a conservation program that gives monetary and technical help to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to combine conservation into working lands. It might be used for hurricane restoration in a number of methods, together with obstruction removing, clearing and snagging, land smoothing, restore of entry roads, and restore of fences for prescribed grazing and defending delicate areas.
Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP)
EFRP is designed to assist landowners restore forest well being broken by pure disasters.
Apply for FEMA
FEMA isn’t particularly for farmers, however it will probably assist anybody, together with farmers, with critical points like displacement, short-term lodging, primary house restore prices, private property loss, or different disaster-caused wants.
There are a number of methods to use: Go browsing to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App, or name 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET each day. The phone line is open each day, and assist is out there in most languages. If you happen to use a relay service, akin to Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned phone, or different service, give FEMA your quantity for that service.
To view an accessible video on learn how to apply, go to Three Methods to Apply for FEMA Catastrophe Help – YouTube.
Help for the Carolinas
Carolina Farm Stewardship Affiliation
The Carolina Farm Stewardship Affiliation has put collectively a working listing of sources that will assist growers within the Carolinas and past transfer ahead with restoration. Remember to test again in as they replace their listing.
Meade Tractor
See the total description underneath Virginia heading to use for tools help.
Florida Farm Reduction
The Florida Division of Agriculture and Shopper Providers (FDACS) affords low-interest or interest-free loans to agricultural and aquaculture producers with harm from pure disasters.
They’re now accepting functions for producers who skilled harm in Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Debby.
~Apply for a Get well Mortgage~
Georgia Farm Reduction
Georgia Division of Agriculture
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper has despatched a letter asking Georgia’s congressional delegation to right away present support to farmers. Within the letter, he requests federal support by way of a Block Grant to the State of Georgia moderately than the pre-existing reduction applications. Hopefully, we hear extra quickly.
~The Georgia Agriculture Division~
Tennessee Farm Reduction
The College of Tennessee Extension has compiled a listing of sources to help farmers and people in Tennessee impacted by Hurricane Helene. In addition they encourage all farmers to contact their county extension company.
Virginia Farm Support
Smyth County Virginia Cooperative Extension
The extension encourages Smyth County farmers to contact them on Fb and report losses, together with hay, fences, barns, animals, and many others. They ask that you just embrace your title, tackle, description of loss, approximate worth, and whether or not you had insurance coverage.
121 Bagley Circle, Suite 434, Marion, VA 24354 – 276-783-5175
Meade Tractor
Meade Tractor has began a Disaster Response Program for farmers affected by flooding in Asheville, NC, Tri-Cities, TN, and Southwest Virginia. This system supplies entry to a fleet of tractors, loaders, and different important tools for gratis to impacted farmers and on-site coaching from Meade Tractor’s expert group to make sure the tools’s protected and environment friendly operation.
This info has been gathered from different state, federal, and group web sites. SESE doesn’t work with or help these applications. All of their selections are their very own. The hope is to collect useful sources for folk. We are going to replace this listing as we come throughout extra info within the coming weeks.