Hurricane Michael caused more than $2.5 billion in losses to Georgia’s agricultural industry alone, and U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) are hoping to get additional funding for Georgians impacted by the storm through a direct appeal to Senate leadership.
In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Isakson and Perdue requested that Congress provide supplemental disaster funding to help with recovery from billions in agricultural losses from Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Senators from other Southeastern states affected by the hurricanes also joined the letter. The combined losses from Hurricanes Florence and Michael cost other states additional billions in agriculture production and job losses.
The letter states, “We believe it is our duty as Members of Congress to step in and assist farmers and others who are in need. We ask that as leaders of the United States Senate you direct this body to work with the House of Representatives to include emergency appropriations for those states affected by Hurricanes Florence and Michael in the next appropriations bill the Senate considers.”
Isakson and Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., led the letter, and the senators were joined by Perdue and Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose states were also affected by the September and October hurricanes.
The letter goes on to say, “Cotton was ruined during a crucial harvest period, destroying what promised to be a historically high yield. Peanuts, sweet potatoes, and a multitude of other fruits and vegetables that were not yet harvested rotted in the soil. High winds leveled acres of timber stands and pecan trees and demolished poultry, pork, and cattle barns, killing and dispersing animals and livestock,” the letter continued.
Also this week, Isakson and Perdue sent a letter to Senate appropriators requesting funding for agriculture disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricane Michael.
In October, Isakson and Perdue joined Vice President Mike Pence and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visiting farmers and producers in Bainbridge, Moultrie, and Albany who were devastated by Hurricane Michael.
Full text of the letter can be found here.
