Tens of billions in aid for Hurricane Helene victims is expected to start flowing soon, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. This announcement comes as farmers in Georgia and surrounding states face challenges in planting their crops this year due to the storm’s devastation.
Congress approved a $100 billion disaster relief package on December 21, with a deadline of March 21 to distribute the funds. Hurricane Helene struck in late September, affecting areas from Florida to North Carolina and causing significant flooding in parts of Tennessee. The storm is noted as the seventh-most expensive disaster in the U.S. since 1980, with damages estimated at $78 billion and 219 lives lost.
At a recent news conference in Atlanta, Rollins assured that aid would begin to be disbursed before the deadline. This news is welcomed by farmers like Chris Hopkins from Georgia, who lost half of his cotton crop on 1,400 acres due to the hurricane. He has started planting corn and plans to begin planting cotton later this month. However, he has had to use emergency funds to cover $200,000 in loans for seeds and fertilizers, as many farmers are struggling with debts from previous years.
Hopkins expressed the urgent need for federal assistance, stating that many producers are in a "holding pattern" because they cannot afford to pay their rent or loans. Farmers had hoped for the aid to arrive earlier, ideally in January or February, to help them settle debts before the planting season. Some have even sold equipment or land to secure funds for new crops.
In South Carolina, state leaders opted to wait for federal relief funds instead of passing an emergency bill for local aid, believing the federal assistance would arrive quickly. The disaster relief package includes $21 billion for farmers, $8 billion for rebuilding infrastructure, and additional funds for community recovery.
The impact of Hurricane Helene on agriculture has been severe. In Georgia alone, the storm caused an estimated $5.5 billion in agricultural damage, including the destruction of pecan trees and chicken houses. North Carolina faced about $4.9 billion in losses, particularly in specialty crops like Christmas trees, which are less covered by crop insurance.
State governments are also taking action. Georgia has allocated $285 million for low-interest loans for farmers and debris removal in an amended budget. North Carolina is working on a supplemental relief bill that could exceed $500 million to address crop losses, while South Carolina has approved a budget that includes $220 million in relief for farmers.
As the aid process unfolds, farmers are hopeful that the federal assistance will arrive soon enough to mitigate the impact of the storm and support their recovery efforts.