The USDA will work with farmers and rural communities to help them recover from “significant” losses caused by Hurricane Helene, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, traveling with President Biden to storm-hit Florida and Georgia on Thursday. As an example, Vilsack said, “We’re working with crop insurance companies now to expedite payments so farmers will receive help in November, if not sooner.”
Vilsack described USDA disaster programs aimed at helping farmers, rebuilding water and telephone service in rural communities, and providing nutrition assistance after catastrophes. “And obviously, any governor who requests disaster SNAP assistance will get it from the department as quickly as we can,” he told reporters on Air Force One. The so-called D-SNAP program, using a simplified application, provides one month of benefits to eligible households in disaster areas.
“We know the losses to agriculture in the path of this storm are significant, although it will be some time before we know the full extent of those losses,” he said in a USDA Radio News story. “We’re prepared to work with state and local government officials to provide swift support to farmers, ranchers, producers, and small-business owners affected by these storms.”
Biden estimated that recovery efforts for Helene would cost billions of dollars, reported public broadcaster WABE. “I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you, and I promise you we have your back,” Biden said during a stop in Ray City, Georgia.
Pecan farmer Buck Paulk, who spoke after Biden, said it would take years to rebuild from the hurricane. “We don’t look to get handouts or things like that, but we do need help, and I know God can send us that help, some of that help, in the way of government administration,” he said.
Vilsack said the USDA “has a suite of disaster tools designed specifically for farmers and producers to help with things like repairing structures and fences, removing debris, help with soil erosion, pay for livestock losses and provide assistance to feed animals, and pay for uninsured losses.”