ATLANTA — Georgia farmers who have long been trying to recover from 2018's Hurricane Michael will be eligible for nearly $350 million in disaster relief aid, officials announced Wednesday.
A multi-billion-dollar relief aid package was originally authorized with a congressional act last summer, and the federal Department of Agriculture said in November that Georgia would be among the states eligible for the money.
Gov. Brian Kemp said that while "the recovery process is far from over," the announcement would represent a "big step forward for Georgia farmers and the people of southwest Georgia" who were impacted by Hurricane Michael.
"Together, we will stand with those still reeling from Hurricane Michael's impact and continue to support them on the road to recovery," the governor said in a news conference at the state capitol in Atlanta.
Here's what you need to know to apply:
- Farmers who applied for WHIP+ late last year are also eligible for relief under the block grants announced today, state officials confirmed to 11Alive.
- Start at the Georgia Department of Agriculture website.
- A three-week window will open for applications on March 18 and close on April 8.
- There money will be available to farmers form 95 counties - you can find a map of those counties here.
- You will have to apply online.
- Farmers who suffered losses in beer, dairy, fruit and vegetable, pecan, poultry, timber and uninsured infrastructure are eligible for compensation.
- All applications require: Addresses of the physical locations of damage with GPS coordinates and itemized losses by commodity for each location.
- Each commodity has varying requirements - for instance, only acres of fruit and vegetable crops that experienced 15 percent losses or higher are eligible and beef producers need records for conception and breeding, certified by a veterinarian or third party, to document their losses.
- For the specific requirements, see the Georgia Department of Agriculture guide below:
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