Hurricane Milton: Assessing and Reporting Losses and Damages

The University of Florida Institute of Food And Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program is deploying a survey to assess the agricultural impacts of Hurricane Milton. Once it is safe to do so and immediate needs are met, Florida’s agricultural producers are encouraged to complete the following steps related to assessing and reporting agricultural losses and damages:

1. Document all losses and damages from the hurricane. Take photos or drone images before cleanup occurs with date, time and location stamps enabled. Keep a work log of all hours that you or your employees spend on hurricane cleanup and repairs. 
2. Contact your insurance agent about filing claims for any damages or losses covered by insurance. File a claim before any non-emergency cleanup or repairs are made. 
3. Report farm damages or crop/livestock losses to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Farm Service Agency (FSA), even if you are not currently enrolled in an FSA program. Information reported to USDA FSA is used to determine eligibility for agricultural disaster declarations. Producers can also email reports to FSA at SM.FPAC.FSA.FLFSA.Disaster@USDA.GOV. Indicate the county of loss in the email subject line.
4. Investigate agricultural disaster assistance programs that might be available through agencies such as: USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, USDA Risk Management Agency,  Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Water Management Districts.
5. Growers are encouraged to share information about impacts experienced at their farms by completing the UF/IFAS Disaster Assessment Survey:

• Take the survey here (English)
• Take the survey here (Spanish)

This UF/IFAS survey is used to estimate the state- and later county-level production losses for agricultural operations in Florida. Results are communicated to state and federal agencies to inform their decision-making processes. This survey is not formally used for disaster designations or disaster assistance eligibility, so it is critical to make sure you also are reporting losses and damages to USDA FSA (see step 3 above).

This assessment supports informed decision-making at the local, state, and federal levels related to disaster declaration, response, and recovery. More specifically, survey responses and subsequent analyses provide data and insights to industry associations, government agencies, policy makers, and emergency management personnel. Participation is voluntary and confidential. 

Florida Citrus Mutual is also conducting a survey to assess Florida grove damage. The association is asking all Florida citrus growers to complete the brief survey. Mutual’s Hurricane Milton damage assessment survey can be taken here.

The information will be utilized for informational purposes with industry contacts and associations and for official purposes with legislators, policymakers, emergency management groups and crop insurance companies. All individual information will be held strictly confidential; only the aggregate will be shared.

Mutual recommends growers take as many pictures and videos as possible of the damage in groves for documentation purposes. If growers are willing to share them with Mutual, they can be texted to Tamara Wood at 863-698-9276 or uploaded directly to this site. 

Sources: UF/IFAS and Florida Citrus Mutual

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