ASHEVILLE – With a rough estimate of billions of dollars in agricultural and forest damage across Western North Carolina following Tropical Storm Helene, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Asheville on Oct. 25 to reassure farmers that support from the U.S. Ministry of Agriculture would continue in the long term.
“We’re here for the long haul,” Vilsack said during a stop at the WNC Farmers Market. He outlined financing programs and resources available to farmers through the Farm Service Agency.
The agency offers 10 disaster assistance programs, with financing tailored to different agricultural and livestock needs.
Vilsack acknowledged the complexity of navigating these programs, especially during a natural disaster, noting that the USDA has launched a website to simplify the process.
The department has also relaxed paperwork requirements for those who lost documentation during the storm and accelerated payouts.
Farmers are encouraged to visit farmers.gov/hurricane for program information or contact the USDA call center at 877-508-8364.
The storm’s damage to the agricultural sector remains unclear, Vilsack said, but preliminary estimates range from $3.5 billion to $4 billion.
More: ‘We just need help’: Henderson County farmers hit hard by Helene
“Now I want to emphasize that we shouldn’t get too hung up on that number just because that’s just the damage as we know it,” he said.
Vilsack explained that the economic impact could last 15 to 20 years as agricultural damage affects future crop yields.
During his regional visit, Vilsack met with U.S. Forest Service officials and praised their efforts to clear debris, reopen roads and reduce future fire hazards in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.
The combination of recent droughts and timber downed by storms will likely increase the risk of wildfires in the long term, he said.
More: Pisgah National Forest Partially Reopens After Helene; clearing debris and trees continues
“So it is important and necessary that we also look at this from a longer perspective, and understand that this is not a one- or two-week, six-month or one-year proposition, but this is a multi-year effort,” he said . .
Vilsack also acknowledged losses for those who rely on national forest tourism, saying USDA must assess these losses to help support those affected, including those who rely on tourism revenue.
“Understanding exactly what that means in real terms, in monetary terms, helps determine the extent of the damage that comes from the storm. It helps us define what we are asking Congress to supplement or provide,” he said.
Vilsack emphasized that USDA’s role will continue into the future to help alleviate the complex impacts on the economy, the environment and public health.
“The loss of life, the loss of livelihood, the loss of farms, the loss of homes, the loss of everything that matters in life has been and continues to be incredibly devastating for people,” he said.
“So those of us who work at the Department of Agriculture, our thoughts and prayers remain with the people down here, and we will continue to be partners in the extraordinary effort underway in North Carolina.”
Vilsack’s visit is the latest in a series of federal government officials — and First Lady Jill Biden — to visit Asheville and WNC in the wake of Helene. Biden visited Asheville earlier in the day on October 25 to thank volunteers from World Central Kitchen and the Veterans Restoration Quarters. Others included appearances by former President Donald Trump in Swannanoa, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in Asheville and Interstate 40 near Tennessee and an air tour of the region by President Joe Biden.
More: ‘Drastically different’: How Helene turned Western North Carolina’s ecology and habitat upside down
More: After Helene enforced the closure and furlough, Biltmore Estate reopened in November
Miguel Torres is a criminal justice journalist with the USA TODAY Network reporting for the Asheville Citizen Times in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. Email him at Miguel.Torres@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in Asheville backs farmers after Helene
