Disaster Assessment: Reporting Agricultural Losses and Damages Following Hurricane Helene

As Florida braces for the arrival of Hurricane Helene, agricultural producers are preparing their farms and ranches to mitigate its impacts. During this time, it is also critical that they prepare to assess and report any losses and damages that might be sustained once the storm passes.

This assessment process is important not only for filing insurance claims, but also for the decision-making processes taking place at local, state, and federal levels related to disaster declaration, response, and recovery.

This blog was adapted from UF/IFAS EDIS Article FE1147 & the Frequently Asked Questions about UF/IFAS Agricultural Damage and Loss Assessment.

5 Steps to Take for Assessment & Reporting*

Once it is safe to do so and immediate needs are met, Florida’s agricultural producers are encouraged to complete the following steps related to assessing and reporting agricultural losses and damages:

Document all losses and damages from the hurricane. Take photos or drone images before cleanup occurs with date, time, and location stamps enabled. Keep a work log of all hours that you or your employees spend on hurricane cleanup and repairs.
Contact your insurance agent about filing claims for any damages or losses covered by insurance. File a claim before any non-emergency cleanup or repairs are made.
Report farm damages or crop/livestock losses to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Farm Service Agency (FSA), even if you are not currently enrolled in an FSA program. Information reported to the USDA FSA is used to determine eligibility for agricultural disaster declarations. Producers can also email reports to the FSA disaster group inbox at SM.FPAC.FSA.FLFSA.Disaster@USDA.GOV – please indicate the county of loss in the Subject Line – emails sent to the disaster group inbox will receive an auto reply acknowledging receipt.
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Investigate agricultural disaster assistance programs that might be available through agencies such as:
Take the UF/IFAS EIAP Disaster Assessment Survey. This survey is used to estimate the state- and later county-level production losses for agricultural operations in Florida and results are communicated to state and federal agencies to inform their decision-making processes. This survey is not formally used for disaster designations or disaster assistance eligibility, so it is critical to make sure you also are reporting losses and damages to the USDA-FSA (see step 3).

The UF/IFAS EIAP Disaster Assessment Survey

After a significant disaster event, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) works to provide timely, credible estimates of agricultural losses.

Led by Christa Court, UF/IFAS associate professor of food and resource economics, the EIAP prepares these estimates using a combination of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and surveys to estimate agriculture-related losses; however, accurate estimations are impossible without the valuable producer input gathered through the UF/IFAS EIAP Disaster Assessment Survey.

What is the survey for?

As a statewide organization, UF/IFAS conducts rapid assessment of agricultural losses and damages in the affected regions of Florida after a significant disaster event. While the assessment is not a formal component of a specific government agency’s decision process, the results of the UF/IFAS assessment are shared with administrators at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Economic Development Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as with state-level industry associations.

Results of this survey are not used to identify individual farms for assistance, but there is an opportunity within the survey to request a contact from a representative of Florida Cooperative Extension.

How do producers access the survey and what does it ask for?

To report agricultural impacts of Hurricane Helene, producers can access the confidential UF/IFAS EIAP survey at go.ufl.edu/heleneagimpacts or by contacting their local UF/IFAS Extension county office to report by phone, receive a paper copy, or request an in-person assessment, where available.

The disaster assessment survey requests information including the type of respondent, whether the record is a first-hand observation or second-hand information, and the location of the farm, ranch or operation. After selecting a commodity group for the operation, the respondent is asked for relevant, commodity-specific information on acreage in production, number of animals on farms, and details on production losses and damages. The final questions of the survey ask respondents to briefly describe any other types of damages or losses or provide general comments about the operation’s disaster experiences, and if they would like to upload photos recording the reported damage.

What happens to the data?

The information entered in the survey is downloaded and prepped for analysis by investigators from the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program, which resides within the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. All data for individual farm businesses and survey respondents are maintained confidentially, and only group totals or averages will be disclosed, as per the terms of the survey protocol approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board (IRB).

How does this effort benefit producers and the agricultural industry in Florida?

This assessment informs decision-making at the local, state and federal levels related to disaster declaration, response and recovery. More specifically, survey responses and subsequent analyses provide data and insights to industry associations, government agencies, policy makers, and emergency management personnel. Responses are used for managing emergency planning exercises, emergency response specific to agriculture and natural resource systems, and strategies for adjustment or development of policy tools associated with resilience at the local, state, and national levels. More generally, the assessment results improve public understanding of the economic importance of agriculture in our state and how this sector is impacted by disaster events.

By participating in the survey, you will also help UF/IFAS EIAP with two longer-term goals: 1) develop disaster-specific databases that allow for accurate and defensible rapid assessment without the need for surveys, and 2) to harmonize and standardize the data collection process across state and federal agencies and industry associations to relieve producers from redundant reporting in the aftermath of disaster events.

While we will always hope for the best, following these steps ensures that should the worst occur ensures a comprehensive understanding of the extent of the damages can be gathered to inform effective disaster assistance for impacted agricultural producers.

Para más información en español:

For more resources about all stages of Disaster Preparation, Response and Recovery, visit the following sources:

For more information about UF/IFAS EIAP Involvement in Agricultural Disaster Assessment in Florida:

This blog was adapted from UF/IFAS EDIS Article FE1147 & the Frequently Asked Questions about UF/IFAS Agricultural Damage and Loss Assessment.

* This publication is designed to provide accurate, current information at time of publication. However, since the appropriation bills, regulations, and agency information on which it is based are subject to constant revision, portions of this publication could become outdated at any time. Programs available might differ for future hurricanes or other natural disasters. Also, the publication might not cover all possible programs. This publication is distributed with the understanding that the authors are not engaged in rendering legal advice or opinions, and the information contained herein should not be regarded, or relied upon, as a substitute for legal advice or opinion. For these reasons, use of these materials by any person constitutes an agreement to hold harmless the authors, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the University of Florida for any liability claims, damages, or expenses that may be incurred by any person as a result of reference to or reliance on the information contained in this publication.