Resources for Agricultural Recovery After Hurricane Helene

State of South Carolina

The state of South Carolina has various resources available for individuals affected by Hurricane Helene. Below is a list of some useful resources:

Emergency Planning and Disaster Response | South Carolina Department of Agriculture

Hurricane Helene Relief | South Carolina Department of Revenue

SCEMD Recovery Programs | South Carolina Emergency Management Division

Helene Response and Recovery | South Carolina Department of Insurance

FEMA

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program helps survivors directly with grant funds to assist those who were uninsured or underinsured and have necessary expenses and serious needs due to damages incurred from the disaster. IA includes a range of options to assist with disaster-related expenses for your home or other necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster.

Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation who were affected by Hurricane Helene are eligible to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance.

You can apply in several ways:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
• In person at any Disaster Recovery Center. To find a center close to you, visit fema.gov/DRC, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”).
• On your phone using the FEMA mobile app.
• By calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.

FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a suite of disaster assistance, farm loan and conservation programs to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to recover.

In Sept. 2024, USDA made changes to its emergency loan program so that producers can access emergency loans for any amount of damage (previously farmers had to show a 30% production loss), and to increase access to flexible repayment terms, including interest-only payments, if necessary to recover from the disaster. USDA has also instructed staff to exercise maximum flexibility in many of its programs to ensure farmers get timely help. Several program deadlines have also been extended.

Visit farmers.gov/hurricane for a full list of programs as well as available flexibilities to help after Hurricane Helene. You can also find and visit your nearest USDA Service Center or call the Farm Service Agency Call Center at 877-508-8364 to receive assistance.

LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY ASSISTANCE

• Livestock Indemnity Program – Provides benefits to livestock owners and contract growers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused be eligible loss conditions. Animals injured by the hurricane or related weather event that were sold within 30 days of the disaster event at a reduced rate may also qualify for LIP assistance.
• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm Raised Fish Program – Assists with grazing losses due to hurricanes and flooding eligible on affected acres. Also includes assistance for purchased and produced feed losses due to hurricanes (hay bales, stacked hay, corn, silage, etc.). Feed purchases above normal due to hurricanes are eligible for ELAP assistance. ELAP is also available to assist with above normal costs to transport livestock to feed and/or transportation of feed/forage to livestock and above normal costs associated with water hauling.
• Conservation Reserve Program – Emergency haying is authorized for up to 60 calendar days and emergency grazing of CRP is authorized for up to 90 calendar days in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation due to a named storm.
• Environmental Quality Incentives Programs – Provides technical and financial assistance to producers to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. The program can assist with restoring livestock infrastructure and emergency animal mortality disposal.

CROP ASSISTANCE

• Producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance should report crop damage to their crop insurance agent.
• Producers who have purchased coverage through FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program should report losses to their local FSA county office.

FARM LOANS

• Emergency Loan Program – Provides loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to flooding or storms.
• Disaster Set-Aside Program – Provides producers who have existing direct loans with FSA who are unable to make the scheduled payments to move up to one full year’s payment to the end of the loan.

For producers with Marketing Assistance Loans, FSA is providing additional time for producers to deliver commodities to a buyer to repay MALs with sale proceeds and postponing MAL foreclosure letters applicable to losses or damages due to hurricanes for up to 90 calendar days.

FARM AND FOREST LAND DAMAGE

• Emergency Conservation Program – Provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to restore farmland damaged by natural disasters such as grading, shaping or leveling land, removing debris, restoring fences and conservation structures like terraces and waterways.
• Emergency Forest Restoration Program – Provides funding to restore privately owned forests damaged by natural disasters. Assistance helps landowners carry out emergency measures to restore forest health on land damaged by floods and hurricanes including removing debris, repairing forestland roads and replacing fence.
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Provides technical and financial assistance to producers to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. The program can assist with land rehabilitation and debris removal.
• Tree Assistance Program – Provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where applicable, rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines lost by natural disasters. FSA has extended assistance to trees, bushes and vines that have not died but are no longer capable of production (not economically viable). This assistance program complements the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program or federal crop insurance coverage, which covers the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases.
• Emergency Watershed Program – Offers vital recovery options for local communities to help people reduce hazards to life and property caused by floodwaters, droughts, and other natural disasters. Project funds address 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.

DOCUMENTING AND REPORTING LOSSES

USDA reminds producers to document damages and losses, including gathering farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. USDA advises livestock producers to document livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures of injury or loss, to the extent possible. USDA asks producers to report crop, livestock and farm infrastructure losses to FSA at your local USDA Service Center. Producers can call the FSA Hotline for assistance if their local Service Center is currently closed.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, USDA also partners with several organizations to offer mental health resources. Anyone in need of extra support in light of stressful circumstances is encouraged to contact the AgriStress Helpline® at 833-897-2474. This helpline is a free and confidential crisis and support line that you can call or text 24/7.

Small Business Administration

Disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are the largest source of federal disaster recovery funds for survivors. SBA offers long-term, low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations.

SBA disaster loans have very favorable terms with fixed interest rates, automatic 12-month payment deferment with 0% interest for the first 12 months.

Disaster loans can be used to make property improvements that eliminate future damage or can save lives. They can be increased by up to 20% to upgrade buildings to mitigate future damage.

You can apply for SBA loans at MySBA Loan Portal.

HOME DISASTER LOANS

The SBA provides long-term, low-interest loans to qualified homeowners and renters. Homeowners can receive up to $500,000 to repair or replace their primary residence. Qualified renters and homeowners may also borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property damaged or destroyed in a disaster. This can include items such as clothing, furniture, cares, appliances, soil and water, livestock, feed, land debris and fencing.

BUSINESS PHYSICAL DISASTER LOANS

The SBA’s Business Physical Disaster Loans provide long-term low interest loans up to $2 million to cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance. These funds may be used to repair or replace physical assets such as real property, machinery, equipment, fixtures, inventory and leasehold improvements. Proceeds may not be used to upgrade or expand a business, except as required by building codes.

Qualified businesses of any size and most non-profit organizations are eligible to apply.

ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS

The SBA also provides Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million for working capital. EIDLs are long-term, low-interest loans intended to assist businesses impacted by a disaster meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations until normal operations resume.

Funds can be used for working capital and normal expenses such as the continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities and fixed debt payments.

Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations impacted by a disaster are all eligible to apply.

Internal Revenue Service

ADMINISTRATIVE DISASTER TAX RELIEF

The IRS will automatically provide administrative disaster tax relief and special tax law provision that grants additional time for individuals and business to file returns, pay taxes, and perform certain other time-sensitive acts to taxpayers affected by a federally declared disaster. Some exceptions may apply.

Additional details on tax relief are available on the IRS website.