Has your agricultural operation been impacted by a hurricane? USDA is here to help you prepare for and recover from hurricanes, Tropical Storms, Tropical Depressions, etc.
Assistance and resources for producers impacted by Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton can be found below.
Assistance for Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton
USDA offers a suite of programs to help your ag operation recover from recent hurricanes. The Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) are ready to assist impacted producers and adding flexibilities to disaster assistance programs to streamline the recovery process. Programs can help with debris removal, land rehabilitation, and animal, crop and tree losses.
Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions (updated on Nov. 13, 2024)
- Overview of USDA Program Flexibilities (updated on Nov. 1, 2024)
- Resumen de las flexibilidades del programa del USDA) (updated on Nov. 1, 2024)
- Risk Management Agency Flexibilities
- Stakeholder Toolkit: Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton
News
- Dec. 5, 2024 News Release: USDA Provides Additional Flexibilities to Respond to 2024 Hurricanes, Expedites Emergency Conservation and Disaster Recovery Payments for Producers in Nine States Impacted by Hurricanes in 2016 to 2023
- Oct. 30, 2024 Blog: USDA’s Hurricane Recovery Efforts: None of Us Is as Strong as All of Us
- Oct. 30, 2024 News Release: USDA to Issue More than $235 Million to Farmers Hit by Natural Disasters, Including Hurricane Milton
- Oct. 25, 2024 News Release: Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Visits North Carolina to Highlight Federal Resources Available to Help Farmers, Families and Communities Recover from Hurricane Helene
- Oct. 17, 2024 News Release: USDA to Purchase $25 million in Citrus from Domestic Producers Supporting Communities in Need
- Oct. 15, 2024 News Release: USDA Makes Indemnity Payments to Producers Impacted by Hurricane Helene (El USDA otorga indemnizaciones a los productores afectados por el huracán Helene)
- Oct. 7, 2024 Blog: Impacted by Hurricane Helene? USDA Is Here to Help. (¿Ha sido afectado por el huracán Helene? El USDA está aquí para ayudar.)
- Oct. 4, 2024 News Release: USDA Offers Resources, Adds Flexibilities to Disaster Assistance Programs to Help Hurricane Helene-Impacted Farmers, Forest Landowners and Communities (El USDA ofrece recursos y añade flexibilidades a los programas de asistencia en caso de desastre para ayudar a agricultores, silvicultores y comunidades afectados por el huracán Helene)
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Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish. It covers losses due to an eligible adverse weather or loss conditions as well as expenses associated with transportation of water and feed to livestock.
Livestock Indemnity Program
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides benefits to livestock owners and contract growers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by specific adverse weather, disease, or animal attacks.
Producers can use the LIP Decision Tool to help them gather information and documents they will need to apply for the program. The LIP Decision Tool was developed in partnership with Farm Raise.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields or crop losses or prevents crop planting. Producers must have obtained NAP coverage for the crop year in which the loss occurs.
Tree Assistance Program
The Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides cost-share assistance to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes or vines lost during the natural disaster.
This program provides assistance for trees, bushes or vines not covered by the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program or crop insurance.
Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program
The Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program provide financial and technical assistance to restore conservation practices like fencing, damaged farmland or forests.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program provides financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices. Common practices to help recover from hurricane include obstruction removal, clearing and snagging, land smoothing, repair of access roads and repair of fences for prescribed grazing and protecting sensitive areas.
Farm Loans
USDA offers a variety of direct and guaranteed loans, including operating and emergency loans to eligible producers unable to secure commercial financing. Loans can help producers replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed, cover family living expenses or refinance farm-related debts and other needs.
Additionally, several loan servicing options are available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan program debt to the Agency because of reasons beyond their control.
Emergency Watershed Program
The Emergency Watershed Protection Program– with recovery and floodplain easement options – provides personalized advice and financial assistance to relieve imminent threats to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.
EWP Recovery addresses erosion related watershed impairments by supporting activities such as removing debris from stream channels, road culverts, and bridges; reshaping and protecting eroded banks; correcting damaged drainage facilities; repairing levees and structures; and reseeding damaged areas.
EWP Floodplain Easement offers an alternative method to the traditional EWP Program Recovery. NRCS recommends this option to landowners and others where acquiring an easement is the best approach (more economical and prudent) to reduce threat to life and/or property.
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program
The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Loan terms vary from 3 to 12 years. Producers who incurred damage to or loss of their equipment or infrastructure funded by the FSFL program, should contact their insurance agent and their local USDA Service Center. Producers in need of on-farm storage should also contact USDA.
Emergency Relief Program
The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) provides financial assistance for agricultural producers impacted from eligible natural disasters in 2022.
Protect Your Operation
If you do not have crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage, consider these risk management options to help protect your operation.
- Crop Insurance: Use the Agent Locator to find a crop insurance agent near you. USDA’s Risk Management Agency works closely with Approved Insurance Providers, who sell and service the policies that producers purchase, to ensure efficient loss adjustment and prompt claims payments.
- For counties within or adjacent to the area of sustained hurricane-force winds, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) covers a portion of your underlying crop insurance policy’s deductible. HIP-WI covers 70 crops and is available in counties near the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and Hawaii.
- Additionally, there is a Tropical Storm Option, part of HIP-WI, to cover named tropical storms. HIP-WI was expanded in 2023 to include this option.
- Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP): Contact your USDA Service Center to obtain Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage.
Prepare Your Operation
Take precautions to prepare and protect your family and operation.
- Develop an Emergency Plan - Ensure your household and employees know your hurricane plan, including meeting points, emergency contact lists, and alternate evacuation routes in case infrastructure is damaged.
- Remove Debris and Secure Large Objects - Clean out culverts, ditches, and other drainage areas, especially before and during peak hurricane season to reduce water damage. Most injuries to animals, people, or structures during a hurricane are caused by flying objects. To lessen the risk, minimize the presence of equipment, supplies, and debris that may become airborne during high winds or encountered in floodwaters.
- Secure Important Records and Documents - Pre- and post-hurricane documentation is extremely important for insurance compensation and recovery assistance. You’ll want to have thorough records of damages and losses sustained on your farm as well as documentation of your cleanup and recovery efforts.
It is critical to document inventory of farm buildings, vehicles, equipment, and livestock before a disaster occurs. Take photos, videos, or make written lists with descriptions. Keep copies of this inventory in multiple places: computer, off-site in a safe location, and on a cloud-based server where information is transmitted and saved weekly.
- Know Your Insurance Options - Regularly review your insurance policies with your agent to be sure you have adequate coverage, including flood insurance, for your facilities, vehicles, farm buildings, crops and livestock. Note, there are limitations on how soon insurance coverage will take effect. Generally, insurance policies will not cover damage if the policy was not in place before a disaster.
- Gather Supplies - Have drinking water, canned food, a generator, batteries, a flashlight, and fuel available in case you lose power. For widespread outages, credit and debit cards may not work, so have cash handy.
- Access Real-time Emergency Information - Download the FEMA app for free on the App Store and Google Play for safety tips on what to do before, during, and after disasters. Subscribe to our text message and emails service to receive real-time, local operational and recovery information for the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency.
Reporting Losses/Submitting Applications
If your operation was impacted by a natural disaster and you have an interest in participating in an available disaster assistance program, you should report losses and damages to FSA and/or your Approved Insurance Provider for crop insurance claims.
Timelines to file notices of loss and submit applications differ by program or coverage:
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program: File with your Service Center no later than the annual program payment application date, which is January 30 the year following the program year in which the loss occurred.
- Livestock Indemnity Program: File with your Service Center no later than the annual program payment application date, which is 60 calendar days following the program year in which the loss occurred.
- Tree Assistance Program: File a program application with your Service Center within 90 days.
- Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program: File notice of loss with your Service Center within 15 days, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be filed within 72 hours. NAP forage producers with the intended use of grazing who elect to use independent assessments or other approved alternative loss percentage methods to establish their loss are no longer required to file Notice of Loss with FSA.
- Crop Insurance: Contact your agent within 72 hours of discovering damage and follow up in writing within 15 days.
Farmers.gov Tools
Learn about USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for you by completing five simple steps.
Learn about the farm loans that might be right for you, check your eligibility, and get instructional help with the application forms.
USDA Resources
Learn about general eligibility for USDA’s disaster assistance programs.
View all Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster assistance programs currently available.
View all Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) disaster assistance programs currently available.
View the Risk Management Agency's (RMA) natural disaster resources.
Learn about RMA's Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index (HIP-WI).
See hurricane preparation and recovery guides for the Southeastern U.S.
Translated Resources
For disaster resources in languages other than English, visit our Translated Resources page. Additionally, you can find a language interpreter at your local USDA Service Center.
Find Your Local Service Center
USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.
Learn more about our Urban Service Centers.
Visit the Risk Management Agency website to find a regional or compliance office or to find an insurance agent near you.