Thousands of rural residents in the southeast are still without power following Hurricane Helene’s impact.
Across Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee that number has been cut in half as crews across the country have gathered to help restore services. While no official timeline has been released, some say it could take days or even weeks to bring everyone back online.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association says that Helene is one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever take place during the 87-year history of electric coops.
Lack of power and cell service has led to some people claiming the amount of damage caused by this storm has yet to be fully realized.
USDA’s Undersecretary Robert Bonnie says that short-term impacts are clearly evident, but the impacts on farmer livelihoods will potentially last for years.
The Farm Service Agency is not only working to reopen some of its own damaged offices but also towards streamlining programs to assist farmers in need.
“FSA has a call center, 877-508-8364, that farmers can reach out to. Some of the losses our crop insurance program has 20,000 policies for farmers in the path of the storm. Biggest hit are corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, and orchards. Those policies cover about $7 billion in liability. A portion of the impacts that we think agriculture will be hit by. Our Farm Service Agency is streamlining our programs, requiring less documentation for farmers, removing some of the environmental requirements so that we can help farmers with livestock, orchards, uninsured crops, and other things. Our Natural Resources Conservation Service is working to make conservation programs, Emergency Environmental Quality Incentive Program, funding available and over the longer-term, we’ll work with communities through Emergency Watershed Programs to deal with the impacts of flooding,” Undersecretary Robert Bonnie explains.
The Georgia Cotton Commission described the scenes as devastating in a way that has not been portrayed.
Growers in the state were already facing tough times before the hurricane, with some facing the reality of going out of business.
More than a million acres of Georgia cotton could lose money this year.
USDA is also currently helping in disaster relief outside of agriculture, helping meet the immediate needs of communities impacted.
