WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday about the suffering caused by Hurricane Helene to the state’s farmers and ranchers.

At the same hearing, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that back-to-back hurricanes have depleted agency funds to help disaster-stricken places like Augusta.

Ossoff, Democrat of Georgia, stressed the urgency of both parties to provide agricultural disaster aid to Georgia before the end of the year.

“The numbers are staggering, but it’s not about numbers. These are rural families and communities, and without our help, the simple fact is that many of these family farms will disappear, and they may soon disappear,” he said. “They see their agricultural lands and orchards devastated, they are plunged into red and are under immense stress. If they go under, our rural communities go under too. The local tax base funding schools and infrastructure is destroyed. And the rural way of life in Georgia is in danger of disappearing completely.”

“We must refuse the temptation to procrastinate or get drawn into politics. We must quickly pass disaster aid by the end of the year. My constituents and Americans in every state affected by this terrible storm and hit by natural disasters over the past several years are counting on all of us,” Ossoff said.

The Biden administration asked Congress for nearly $100 billion to fund disaster relief. Most of that money, about $40 billion, would go to FEMA’s disaster relief fund.

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Hurricane Helene: The CSRA continues its long road to recovery

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2. Biden calls for nearly $100 billion in emergency aid after Hélène and Milton
3. Georgia Forestry Agency Offers Help to Landowners Affected by Helen
4. Crews close roads to clear storm debris in Aiken and Columbia counties
5. FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in South Carolina to close on Sunday
6. Paine College still suffering damage from Hurricane Helene

Here is a transcript of Ossoff’s testimony:

“Chairman Murray, Vice Chairman Collins, thank you for this opportunity to inform the Committee of the dire conditions facing Georgia farmers in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

“Georgia’s farmers and farmers in neighboring states are hurting deeply and Congress must urgently pass disaster relief measures by the end of the year.

“Georgia’s agriculture has been devastated by this hurricane, and I respectfully urge this committee to quickly send to the full Senate a disaster relief bill that includes vital aid to Georgia’s farmers, who are in a acute distress and who are the backbone of rural communities in Georgia and our state. economy.

“High winds and torrential rains destroyed fall crops still in the field, destroyed the pecan orchards that growers spent decades tending, and damaged one and a half million acres of forest land – one million and a half acres of forest land.

“In addition to agricultural devastation, Georgia suffered severe damage to the power grid, businesses, housing, roads and other critical infrastructure.

“Virtually every crop and commodity produced in Georgia was severely damaged, including poultry, cotton, lumber, beef cattle, blueberries, pecans, peanuts, tobacco, vegetables, citrus, soy, nursery crops and dairy products.

“The Georgia Pecan Growers Association reports that 48,000 acres of pecan orchards were damaged, resulting in the loss of nearly 400,000 trees.

“Pecan growers like Scott Hudson, a fifth-generation family farmer whose family also runs a cleaning and processing plant, are facing a 60 to 70 percent harvest loss and a 20 to 30 percent loss. % of trees for their older trees, which will take 10 to 20 years. replace.

“Taylor and Arren Moses in Uvalda estimate they lost 85 percent of their 800 acres of trees. They will not be able to save a single tree from the first orchard they planted in 2007.

“The Georgia Poultry Federation reports that 495 poultry houses suffered significant damage, of which 295 were completely destroyed.

“Jeff Davis County Commissioner Vann Wooten, who has raised chickens for 31 years, saw his 10 chicken coops destroyed, most with birds still inside. Without our help, he doesn’t really know if he will be able to return to raising chickens.

“The University of Georgia estimates that Georgia vegetable growers lost 25 to 30 percent of the fall harvest. TJ Moore’s grandfather started farming in 1964. Today he, his brother and their parents grow green beans, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers and more, and because of the storm, they expect to sell less than 30 percent of their production this fall. normal harvest.

“In Clinch County, blueberries make up 35 percent of the local bank’s loan portfolio. In some of Senator Russ Goodman’s fields, a quarter of the plants are broken and toppled, which will also harm next year’s crop.

“I emphasize again that one and a half million acres of Georgia forest land have been damaged and we are estimated to have lost between 500,000 and 600,000 bales of cotton, almost a third of our cotton crop .

“Dear colleagues, the numbers are staggering, but it is not about numbers. These are rural families and communities, and without our help, the simple fact is that many of these family farms will disappear, and they may soon disappear.

“They see their agricultural lands and orchards devastated, they are plunged into red and are under immense stress.

“If they go under, our rural communities go under too. The local tax base funding schools and infrastructure is being destroyed, and Georgia’s rural way of life is at risk of disappearing altogether.

“We know what we need to do, and the fact that my colleague, Senator Tillis and I are here before you, a Democrat and a Republican, to urge speed to achieve this critical goal, I hope, is a testament to the urgency of bipartisan action. before the end of the year.

“We must refuse the temptation to procrastinate or get drawn into politics.

“We need to quickly pass disaster aid by the end of the year.

“My constituents and Americans in every state affected by this terrible storm and hit by natural disasters in recent years are counting on all of us.

“And that is why I am once again very grateful, to Chairman Murray, Vice Chairman Collins and the members of the Committee, for the privilege of appearing before you today.

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