The loss of life as of Oct. 17 was at least 232, with many persons still unaccounted for across six states hit by Hurricane Helene Sept. 26. Damage is in the billions.
Families were left reeling as the death count mounted for weeks following Helene. North Carolina suffered the greatest number of deaths at 117; South Carolina reported 48; Georgia reported 33; Florida reported 20; Tennessee reported 12; and Virginia reported six. Hurricane Milton, which ripped across Florida from Tampa Bay to Orlando on Oct. 9, accounted for 23 deaths in the most recent report.
Onion Business recently spoke with some of our contacts in Georgia and North Carolina as well as a Florida associate, and we are glad to share news that no loss of life or serious injuries were reported by those contributors we reached following the devastation of the two hurricanes.
Unofficial property damage estimates are in the tens of billions, with Reinsurance News saying, “After Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on Thursday [Sept. 26] evening, reviving the quiet hurricane season, analysts at Moody’s have placed the total property damage at between $15 billion and $26 billion, with a total cost of $20 billion to $34 billion from the storm.”
The full Reinsurance News story is available at https://www.reinsurancene.ws/moodys-puts-total-property-damage-from-hurricane-helene-at-15-26bn/?gad_source=5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI87ay472iiQMVSDjUAR2w-ADMEAAYAyAAEgIW7vD_BwE .
Other estimates run even higher, and agriculture took a powerful hit across the board, with each state facing losses, and according to a Farm Policy News story published Oct. 2, the total economic impact to the U.S. economy could reach and surpass $110 billion.
Read the story at https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2024/10/hurricane-helene-causes-billions-in-ag-damage/ .
It said, “Every commodity was impacted, with cotton, pecans, poultry and timber the hardest hit, according to Matthew Agvest, communications director for the Georgia Department of Agriculture,” Freitas Jr. and Peng reported. “While it’s still early in the assessment stage, the state expects Helene to be more costly than Hurricane Michael in 2018, which caused $2.5 billion in agricultural damage.”
The story continues, “Across the southern U.S., ‘the crop losses alone could trigger $7 billion in insurance payouts, a US Department of Agriculture official estimated Tuesday, reported Peng, Freitas Jr, Ari Natter, and Josh Saul.”
And it added to the Moody’s report, noting, “The Associated Press’ Stephen Smith, Kate Payne and Heather Hollingsworth reported that “Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage. AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Helene in the U.S. is between $95 billion and $110 billion.”
Preliminary ag losses from Helene indicate Georgia alone is expected to hit just under $6.5 billion.
According to figures from the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the Georgia Forestry Commission, agriculture, the state’s top industry, suffered an economic impact of $6.46 billion. An Oct. 10 statement said the figure includes direct crop losses, losses to business that support ag and forestry, losses to workers in those industries and estimated recovery and restoration costs facing the state.
CASS Newswire said in its story at https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story/10505/helene-damage-assessment.html , “This estimate is based on projections by University of Georgia commodity analysts, Georgia Forestry Commission foresters and a model of the Georgia state economy. This estimate should be interpreted as preliminary, as it will take months to understand the full scope of Helene’s damage. “
Agriculture is the state’s number one industry, contributing more than $83 billion annually to Georgia’s economy.
Georgia Ag Commissioner Tyler Harper praised the efforts of responders and the resiliency of the state’s farmers, saying, “Right now, the future is uncertain for thousands of Georgia farmers and farm families who were devastated by Hurricane Helene. We are working around the clock with state, federal, and industry leaders to deliver federal aid to Georgia farmers to help them recover and bounce back stronger than before. I’m proud to see our entire Georgia delegation rallying around and supporting the Georgia farmers who fuel the success of our state’s No. 1 industry, and we will not stop working until we’ve delivered the relief our Georgia farmers and producers need.”
Estimates of damage caused by Milton’s devastating swath across Florida are at $1.5 to $2.5 billion in crop and ag infrastructure damage, according to a report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on Oct. 17. Reuters reported that most of the state’s “citrus producing counties were hit with high winds and flooding, along with areas that raise dairy cattle and produce products like cotton, peanuts, rice, blueberries, strawberries and other tropical fruits…”
