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Notes on Storm Recovery/Clean Up
It is important when cleaning up after a hurricane or tropical storm to document all damage fully prior to beginning work. Many disaster assistance programs require documentation in order to qualify. Some tips to consider:
- Keep a pen and notepad in your truck and write down any damage to outbuildings, barns, fences, irrigation as you come across it.
- Take plenty of pictures. You can create an album on your phone to store storm damage photos.
- Store receipts or invoices for any repair purchases in an envelope marked “Tropical Storm Debby” or something similar. On the back of receipts and invoices write down what those items/services were for. Consider taking pictures or using the Notes app (if you have an iPhone) to scan copies of the receipts if you’re prone to misplacing papers.
- Call your local Farm Service Agency Office as soon as possible. There are not many programs that work perfectly for dairy producers after a storm, but there are a few programs that producers can avail themselves of in certain circumstances:
- Emergency Conservation Program - can assist landowners with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland and conservation structures.
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, & Farm-raised Fish - can provide assistance for some commodity losses (such as stored feed).
- Livestock Indemnity Program - can compensate producers for livestock deaths caused by the storm.
USDA FSA Disaster Assistance Programs
Thank You to Utility Workers, Georgia Dept. of Ag, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, and more!
We owe a hearty “thank you” to all the line crews that have been working around the clock to restore electric service to South Georgia this week. Georgia Power and Georgia EMC have reported over 150,000 customers were without power at some point during the storm. As I’m writing this on Wednesday afternoon, the map at PowerOutage.US is reporting 2,453 customers in Georgia without power.
I’d also like to acknowledge the Emergency Management staff at the Georgia Department of Agriculture who have coordinated the disaster response efforts for livestock, companion animal, fuel, and food industries throughout the storm. GDA staff have been very attentive in checking in on our dairies without power and working with their counterparts at GEMA and the State Operations Center and the utility companies to get electric service restored as soon as possible. They are always a big help in making sure that critical ag infrastructure is prioritized after major storms.
What’s Next?
Clean up efforts are underway in flood-affected areas of the state. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture there has been significant agricultural damage in Bulloch, Screven, and surrounding counties. Pecan and orchard crop producers from Thomas County to the South Carolina state line have lost trees. Row crop and pasture damage is being assessed in East Georgia where fields flooded. On the dairy side, a few of our members reported loss of power for 24 hours or more, but all have restored power at the time we’re writing this.
Rivers and streams are expected to crest with flood waters draining through the weekend. In parts of East Georgia there are road washouts and dam failures. Exercise caution when traveling around previously flooded areas, and do not drive or walk around barricades or barriers closing off flooded areas.
Debby turned back inland yesterday and degraded to a post-tropical cyclone that is dumping rain along the eastern seaboard. Flash flood warnings are expected throughout the Mid-Atlantic and North East
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