This week, Hurricane Milton in Tampa, Florida, made news as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane. It grew into a Category 5 storm with winds of up to 180 mph, but as it moved inland, it was weakened to a Category 1 storm.
Residents of Tampa are still getting over what happened, but people who lived through Hurricane Helene at the end of September will really understand.
People who were hurt by Hurricane Helene last month can still get help, even though help is still being sent for Hurricane Milton.
Relief for farmers and producers hit by Hurricane Helene
Agricultural safety Early this month, Tom Vilsack said that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be helping farmers and other producers who were hurt by Hurricane Helene.
Hurricanes can be terrible for people who work in agriculture. The high winds and heavy rain that come with a hurricane can damage crops and buildings. This could mess up the food supply chain for both the local and national levels.
The Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) is what the USDA does to help farmers and producers who were hurt by Hurricane Helene.
Some of the deductibles that come with crop insurance are paid for by this program.
This plan is for farmers in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and Hawaii, and it covers more than 70 different crops. During hurricane season, Florida and the Gulf Coast are often hit very hard.
There was a lot of damage in several southeast states from Hurricane Helene, which happened right before the fall harvest, according to Secretary Vilsack.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA will help farmers get back on their feet for a long time. Today, they took the first step toward this goal by offering new types of coverage and getting money to farmers quickly.”
$233 million lined up to cover loses
The Biden-Harris Administration has given $233 million to pay for the damage Hurricane Helene caused. The budget for helping people after hurricanes is very big.
For Hurricanes Beryl ($58 million), Debby ($214 million), and Francine ($128 million), which hit the Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S., money has already been paid out. In 2024, this will mean that more than $630 million will be given out.
Farmers are lucky because they do not have to fill out any forms to get help. In the event that your country is eligible for aid, you will automatically receive money if the RMA agrees.
You can look at the Product Management Bulletin 24-067 and local actuarial documents to find out if your county is eligible for relief aid. Farmers may already have other types of insurance, and these benefits will be added to them.
Hurricanes to only increase with climate change
As people around the world work to stop climate change, hurricanes like the ones that hit the United States this year will happen more often in some places.
When the oceans get warmer, storms can pick up more energy, which makes the winds faster and hurricanes stronger.
Ocean temperatures are going up, and this year they hit a record high. This is thought to be why the Atlantic area had an above-normal hurricane season.
To keep the damage from hurricanes from getting worse, the world needs to commit to slowing down sea level rise and becoming carbon neutral.
The current climate goals are to keep the Earth from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 and to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 after they peak in 2025.
On the other hand, current efforts to stop climate change probably will not be enough to reach these goals unless all governments and countries make stopping climate change their top priority.
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