On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced additional assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help producers impacted by Hurricane Helene in the recovery process. USDA is announcing the counties that have triggered for payment under the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement for Hurricane Helene. As a result, Approved Insurance Providers (AIP) have 30 days to issue payments to producers, but AIPs typically issue payments much sooner.
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) first offered HIP-WI for the 2020 hurricane season, and last year, the endorsement was expanded to include the Tropical Storm Option (TS). Under HIP-WI and TS, producers with the endorsement will receive over $233 million in indemnities for hurricane-related losses from Hurricane Helene. These payments will directly help farmers and rural communities recover.
“Several states across the southeast experienced devastating damages from Hurricane Helene, which caused significant destruction right before the fall harvest season,” said Secretary Vilsack. “The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA will support farmers through the recovery process for the long haul, and this includes today’s step of making innovative types of coverage available and getting funds into the hands of producers quickly.”
Currently, Hurricane Helene estimated indemnities for both HIP-WI and TS by state include:
Alabama: $5.0 million
Florida: $12.8 million
Georgia: $207.7 million
North Carolina: $4.1 million
South Carolina: $4.1 million
Virginia: $61,000
These payments are in addition to the estimated $58 million paid for Hurricane Beryl, the $214 million paid for Hurricane Debby and the $128 million paid for Hurricane Francine, which hit gulf coast and southeastern states in July, August and September respectively. In total over $630 million in payments have been issued under HIP-WI and TS in 2024.
Agricultural Deputy Secretary Torres Small visited South Carolina and Georgia to hear from those on the ground during the recovery process. In South Carolina, Deputy Secretary Torres Small visited a local family farm and highlighted resources USDA has available for farmers as they work to recover their operations. In Georgia, in partnership with Feeding America, the Deputy Secretary helped pack emergency food at the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
