The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently suggested preparations growers can make for hurricane season, which starts June 1. It also provided information about recovery resources.
PREPARATIONS
- Develop an emergency plan. Make sure employees and members of your household know the plan.
- Remove debris and secure large objects.
- Document inventory and secure important records. Documentation is critical for insurance compensation and recovery assistance.
- Know your insurance options. Generally, insurance policies will not cover damage if the policy was not in place before a disaster.
- Gather supplies.
- Access real-time emergency information. Download the FEMA app for free, available from the App Store and Google Play.
RECOVERY ASSISTANCE
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) offer a number of options to offset losses and help get you back on your feet. Contact your local USDA Service Center to report losses or ask questions about available programs.
If you have risk protection through federal crop insurance, report crop damage to your crop insurance agent within 72 hours of discovering damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.
For producers with coverage through RMA’s Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) and Tropical Storm Option, payments are generally made within weeks following a hurricane or tropical storm. More resources can be found on the HIP-WI webpage.
If you have coverage under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, you should report crop damage to your local FSA office and file a Notice of Loss (CCC-576) within 15 days of the loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.
DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Disaster programs offered by USDA include the following:
The Tree Assistance Program provides cost-share assistance to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes or vines lost during the natural disaster.
The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program provide financial and technical assistance to restore conservation practices like fencing, damaged farmland or nonindustrial private forests. Producers should contact their local FSA county office regarding enrollment periods and eligibility.
FSA offers a variety of loan options to eligible producers to help meet credit needs. These options include emergency farm loans, which are triggered by disaster declarations.
NRCS provides technical and financial assistance through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help growers plan and implement conservation practices on land impacted by natural disasters.
NRCS offers help to communities through its Emergency Watershed Protection Program, which provides assistance to landowners and project sponsors following a natural disaster.
USDA’s Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance at a Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Assistance Tool can help determine the best programs or loan options.
The FarmRaise educational hub can also help with disaster recovery program decisions.
More information, including a full list of USDA programs, can be found here.
Source: USDA
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