USDA issued a Press Release on October 25, 2024, entitled, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Visits North Carolina to Highlight Federal Resources Available to Help Farmers, Families, and Communities Recover from Hurricane Helene.
They also sent out an “In case you missed it” email that provided supporting information as follows:
USDA continues to help producers, families and communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Working with states, tribes, local governments, and partners, USDA is providing swift support to communities, farmers, ranchers, private forest landowners, and small businesses in all affected areas, and is looking at every avenue possible to accelerate assistance and find ways to get resources to the people that need them most.
We’ve dispatched hundreds of responders to assist to date, with nearly 100 currently on the ground in North Carolina clearing debris and providing support for FEMA’s national response. In the Tarheel State, Forest Service personnel have cleared more than 150 miles of road, and partially cleared more than 80 miles, in multiple counties, providing critical access for search and rescue crews and other responders.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency, and more stand ready to help producers and small businesses recover and rebuild through our many programs. Additionally, the Food and Nutrition Service continues to work with states to ensure that food and nutrition assistance reaches those in need.
Secretary Vilsack highlighted all of these efforts today while in Asheville, North Carolina. While there, he visited the Asheville FEMA Emergency Operations Center and U.S. Forest Service Dispatch Center/USDA Asheville Service Center, where he received briefings from local USDA and Forest Service staff. Secretary Vilsack also traveled to Mills River, NC, to visit the MANNA FoodBank Distribution Center, which has been providing much needed food assistance and emergency food distributions for residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.
At the Western North Carolina Farmers Market in Asheville, Secretary Vilsack met with local farmers and ranchers whose operations have incurred damages and losses due to Hurricane Helene. He heard firsthand how USDA can best support them as they recover and rebuild, and assured them that USDA is committed to supporting them as long as it takes.
Please visit our Disaster Resource Center page for more information on recovery efforts.