S.C. Governor Henry McMaster is seeking $621 million from the federal government as the S.C. Department of Agriculture and the S.C. Forestry Commission estimate total damage from storms over the past year.
McMaster wrote a letter to South Carolina’s congressional delegation asking for support in securing the funding. At a press conference on Friday, McMaster, the Forestry Commission, a SC representative from FEMA and the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture spoke about the damage the state has suffered and what financial help they need.
Damages total nearly $621 million from Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby and this summer’s flash drought, the agencies said.
McMaster also announced the launch of Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days for farmers who need to be connected to resources and information, starting on Friday, November 15.
Similar to the South Carolina County Days, the Agriculture and Forestry Days provide a “one-stop shop” where farmers and communities can reach out to South Carolina resources for assistance.
“The federal system is the one that has the money, and we want to make sure we can leverage all of these resources to help our farms and forests,” McMaster said. “Many farms are incapacitated as fallen trees on passenger roads and other storm-related issues further complicate recovery efforts.”
2024 was a challenging year for farmers. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers said the July drought had an impact of more than $31 million on farmers and their crops. Tropical Storm Debby caused $133 million in crop and livestock losses in August, with just under $5 million in infrastructure losses. And then Helene caused $65 million in crop and livestock losses. and $193 million in infrastructure legislation and $194 million in timber loss.
There are also gaps in damage that are very difficult to estimate, such as the loss of pecan trees, where revenue from them will be lost for five to six years while the trees come back into production, Weathers said.
Scott Phillips, state forester, said more than 210,000 acres of forests were damaged by Hurricane Helene and 78% of that land is privately owned. He said $83 million of that is direct timber losses to landowners and $51 million impacts forest companies, such as loggers.
Private forest landowners and forest companies do not have the resources to recover from natural disasters, so federal funding is needed to ensure they are not left vulnerable and can recover and prepare for future storms, Phillips said. Recent factory closures have also exacerbated this, resulting in poor market conditions, he said.
Phillips said there was a tremendous loss of urban canopy cover in the upper Greenville area. These aren’t necessarily iconic trees, but they provide shade and are essential to some of those communities, he said. According to Phillips, it is now difficult to even add up the estimate if you have not started replanting and regenerating these areas.
Phillips said Helene was very different from other hurricanes, including Hurricane Hugo, which caused $1 billion in forestry damage.
Brett Howard, the federal coordinating officer for Hurricane Helene, said there are about 750 federal employees on site, 600 from FEMA employees, and about 100 to 150 from other federal agencies.
“At FEMA, we truly understand the importance of the agricultural community in this region,” said Howard. “It is the lifeblood of this state. It is the lifeblood of our nation. If the farmers don’t work, we don’t eat. It’s that simple.”
