Lessons Learned From Hurricane Helene
Agricultural Issues
Amy Byington
Extension Agent, ANR
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Pennington Gap
Abstract
On September 27th, Hurricane Helene left a path of devastation throughout the Southeast, including Southwest Virginia. Many counties in Southwest Virginia experienced record flooding, high wind damage to structures and trees, damage to crops, and loss of livestock. The damage assessments across 21 Southwest and Central Virginia counties estimated direct agriculture and forestry losses of 174.2 million. Dr. John Bovay, Agriculture Economist at Virginia Tech, estimated the ripple effect of the direct farm and forestry losses between an additional $191 to $405 million. Hurricane Helene affected areas such as Southwest Virginia that normally do not see hurricane damage and the region was unprepared for the level of destruction seen. Extension Agents in Southwest Virginia worked with affected landowners to assess damage and assist with recovery efforts. Many Extension Agents worked with or as emergency responders to assist their community clearing roads, cutting trees, and checking on residents. Southwest Virginia also received limited media attention compared to other regions leading to limited assistance. The Southwest Virginia Agriculture Relief Program was created by Extension Agents in response to bring awareness of the situation and assist with matching donors with farmers in need. Flyers, donation forms, and media releases were created to assist with the effort. Extension Agents across Virginia coordinated donations and transportation from their counties. The loss of hay in counties affected by flooding was significant with an estimated 12,000 bales lost. Specific focus was given to hay donations and transportation due to limited hay supply in the region from drouhgt. Hay transportation became a bottleneck with no specific funding or assistance being available immediately. Extension Agents worked to provide farmers with resources and listen to those affected. Recovery will take many years, and many farms may never recover. Many lessons were learned by Extension Agents on how to handle disaster response that they hope to share and help others.
Authors: Amy Byington
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Amy Byington Extension Agent, ANR, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia, 24277