On behalf of the extended NC State Apple Team, we hope you are doing as well as possible following the destruction left by Hurricane Helene. Most, if not all, of the Apple program at MHCREC has power and some form of water back at our houses and the majority of us did not sustain serious damage to our properties.  I have also heard through the grapevine or USA Today some pretty incredible damages to orchards and your properties or those of your families. If anything is needed please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us by cell or email. In today's post I'm simply going to relay some messages and resources to hopefully navigate this challenging time.

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Earlier today, my friend and colleague, Haywood County Center Agent Rachel Douglas, posted an excellent article on resources. I asked her to share that post to our portal and those subscribed should have received a link. Reiterating Rachel's info, documenting everything will make your lives so much easier and much is required for reporting losses:

• Take pictures and videos of all the damage to crops, land, and equipment.
• Find before pictures and videos if you have them.
• Make a list of expected repair costs.
• Keep track of all repair expenses.
• Keep all receipts.
• Keep track of all labor associated with clean up.
• Note: date of weather event, when flooding occurred, and when flood waters receded.
• Note: crops damaged, stage of crop, map of fields, percentage of crop affected, and  yield loss estimates.
• Keep a log of all contacts made to various agencies, insurance companies, and repair companies to refer back to at a future date if needed.

Try to get in touch with the FSA Director in your county as soon as possible to facilitate the process:

• Henderson and Polk Counties: Kelly Springs, (828) 693-1406 ext 2, kelly.springs@usda.gov
• Wilkes County: Julia Houck, (336) 838-3622 ext 2, julia.houck@usda.gov
• Alexander County: Jamie Bowman, (704) 872-5061 ext 2, jamie.bowman@usda.gov
• Haywood County: Paula Edwards, (828) 456-3557 ext 2, paula.edwards@usda.gov
• All NC Counties

FEMA Disaster SBA Meeting. Laura Levene with the NC Apple Growers Association and BRAG Association asked me to pass this information along. This Saturday, October 12, 2024 from 12:45 to 1:45 pm FEMA will be on site at the Edneyville Community Center (15 Ida Rogers Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28792) for one on one help with growers to apply for relief from Hurricane Helene. Please contact Laura or Jeff Nix for more detail. I can help get you in touch if needed!In addition to these resources, NC Extension has been regularly posting disaster communications for assistance to both the agricultural and non-agricultural communities. I've reviewed them and thought these could be of some assistance for commercial apple growers in the region:

• Crop Insurance Guidance for Farmers
• Supporting Latino Communities Impacted by Helene
• Farmer Stress and Mental Health Resources
• Recovery Resources for Farmers (Rachel Douglas' post)
• Assessing Damage in Produce Crops During Times of Excessive Rainfall
• Elena Rogers will be posting on treating contaminated spray water sometime this week (likely 10/9 or 10/10). If you are subscribed to the Apple Portal, you should get a email with the link to your inbox.

I know these links are simply skimming the issues that you may be dealing with. As a pathologist, I'm not well versed in dealing with natural disasters, but myself and the rest of the team here can help navigate anything that comes up. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions or concerns or suggestions on ways we can lend a hand.