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Hurricane Helene, severely impacted Georgians during late September 2024, causing over 30 reported deaths and significant rainfall across the state. After making landfall on September 27, the hurricane began to traverse over land across Georgia as a Category 2 hurricane prior to tracking into the Appalachian mountain range as a tropical storm. In Crisp County we were spared the worst of it but at its peak, Helene left more than 1 million Georgians without power, there were over 300 boil water advisories across the state, damaged over 200,000 homes, and left thousands of families displaced. Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries were left reeling in Helene’s wake, with approximately one-third of the state’s pecan and cotton crops destroyed, over 100 poultry houses damaged or destroyed, and 1.5 million acres of timber damaged or destroyed. All told, Georgia’s agricultural economy faces an unprecedented estimated $7.15 billion in total damages. Most tragically, 225 individuals–including 34 Georgians–lost their lives in Helene’s devastation.

U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), alongside U.S. Representatives urged key Congressional leaders to approve at least $12 billion in federal supplemental disaster appropriations for Georgia in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The latest effort to help Georgians recovering from Hurricane Helene follows Governor Brian Kemp’s November 19 letter to Congressional leaders requesting over $12 billion in federal support. “Georgians in Cordele and throughout the state were hit hard by the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and many of our families and farmers were still recovering from other extreme storms when this happened. That is why I have been working on a bipartisan basis to get this federal disaster funding approved to help Georgians, and in particular help our rural communities across south Georgia, get the support they need to recover,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

According to the Georgia Farm Bureau, the hurricane hit just at harvest time for cotton crops, Georgia’s #2 commodity. The wind flattened fields, stripped cotton from the plants, and lowered the quality of surviving bolls. As of October 10, it’s estimated that 500,000-600,000 bales of cotton were lost with an economic impact of $207 million to $220 million.

It’s also harvest time for peanuts, Georgia’s #3 commodity. While peanut crops suffered less from wind damage, secondary complications, including loss of harvesting equipment, power outages that hamper the peanut drying process, damage to peanut buying facilities, and transportation difficulties, are still issues. All the way up to October 10th, 18 peanut buying points remained without power.

Over 100 poultry houses were damaged or destroyed. Power outages caused chick, egg, and bird losses, and floodwaters contaminated feed and water supplies. Rebuilding infrastructure and poultry populations will take time and resources, and we can expect to see lower inventories of poultry products in grocery stores. Poultry is Georgia’s #1 commodity, constituting 36.4% of our agricultural industry. The federal government spent $14,514,906 to provide food for nearly 1 million eligible Georgians through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

A detailed damage assessment verifies a total impact of $1.28 billion on Georgia’s total timber resource. The report, produced by the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, documents species, product class, percent damage, and location. Hurricane Helene had recorded winds up to 100 miles per hour from Valdosta to Augusta, traversing 8.9 million acres of forestland before exiting the northeast corner of the state.

Georgia agricultural and forestry damage from Hurricane Helene estimated at $6.46 billion. Hurricane Helene hit just before harvest for cotton crops, causing a loss of 500,000-600,000 bales of Georgia cotton and delivering a $207 million to $220 million economic hit to Georgia’s economy. According to Georgia Ag, its going to cost at least $150 million to repair, rebuild, and make resilient community drinking water systems that support Georgia’s homes, farms, businesses, and more through the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grant Program

At least $1.8 billion to support ongoing public and individual disaster recovery needs in Georgia through FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Fund, including at least $772,432,152 for

Public Assistance, $497,090,311 for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, $300,000,000 for debris removal and emergency protective measures, $225,324,270 for Individual and Household Assistance, and $32,178,640 to address damages to campuses across the University System of Georgia. Over $50 million for emergency repairs to Georgia’s hospital network through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. We also request sufficient funding through this account to address the Intravenous Fluid (IV) shortages and medical supply chain resiliency challenges that threatened Georgia hospital operations in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene. It is reported that $7.15 billion has been provided for Georgia’s farmers and ranchers including $610,845,364 for Georgia’s forestry industry Many local businesses throughout the state held fundraises to help the local community. If you would like to donate, you can still donate to The American Red Cross.