Hurricane Helene struck the U.S. Southeast as crops were maturing for harvest and growers will need emergency assistance, said Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow on Monday. Poultry barns and processing plants along with field crops were damaged from Florida to North Carolina and Tennessee, according to early reports.
“This was a horrible blow to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across the Southeast,” said Stabenow. “I’m focused on ensuring that these farmers and ranchers get they emergency assistance they need to get back on their feet as soon as possible.”
President Biden said he might ask Congress to pass a disaster-relief package to deal with the “broad and devastating impacts” of the hurricane. He said he would visit North Carolina on Wednesday, and later travel to Georgia and Florida.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said 107 poultry facilities were damaged or destroyed and 15 dairies were affected. “Literally every commodity in the state has been damaged by the storm,” said Kemp over the weekend. Georgia, North Carolina, and Arkansas are the largest chicken-producing states. Georgia also is second in cotton and the leader in pecans.
Florida state agriculture commissioner Wilton Simpson said damage was catastrophic in the “big bend” region, where the hurricane made landfall, reported public broadcaster WUSF-FM. Cattle, field crops, nurseries, beehives, and agriculture processing plants were affected, said Simpson. “If immediate action is not taken, we are at risk of losing significant agriculture, aquaculture, and silviculture operations in this region due to circumstances beyond our farmers’ control,” he said in requesting federal assistance.
“Western N.C. has seen major damage including significant damage to roads, cell towers, and electrical systems making the area unsafe,” said the North Carolina state Agriculture Department. “Many people are asking about getting supplies to our neighbors out West and we know the need will be great.”
The cotton harvest was in its early stages in the Southeast, said the weekly Crop Progress report. Six percent of the cotton was picked in Georgia, 1 percent in North Carolina, and 10 percent in Tennessee, said the USDA report.
In a fact sheet, the White House said 3,500 federal workers “are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states.” The USDA has offices in most counties and was ready “to provide technical assistance, disaster programs, and emergency credit to farmers and agriculture producers who lost crops and livestock,” said the White House. “USDA has also approved Florida’s request for waivers for food assistance programs to Florida and is standing by to render additional flexibilities and assistance as requested by the states.”