Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. There are also continuing impacts from Hurricane Debby in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. If you were impacted by Helene or Debby and have Federal Crop Insurance, contact your crop insurance agent as soon as damage to your crop or livestock is suspected.
RMA recognizes the need for authorizing emergency procedures to streamline certain determinations to accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas. RMA has authorized crop insurance companies to provide flexibility on reporting requirements for those who are unable to report losses due to the disaster.
Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index
Producers who have hurricane and tropical storm coverage through the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index and were impacted by Hurricanes Debby or Helene will receive payments within a few weeks if their county qualified. Please check with your crop insurance agent for more information and updates.
HIP-WI was first offered in the 2020 hurricane season and was expanded in 2023 to include a Tropical Storm Option. Over the last four years, HIP-WI has been a successful risk management tool for producers in affected areas, with over $800 million paid in indemnities to date. Under HIP-WI, producers will receive over $200 million in indemnities for hurricane-related losses from Hurricane Debby. These payments will directly help farmers and rural communities recover.
Additional Resources:
- Emergency Procedures for Crops Damaged by Hurricane Helene and Continuing Impacts from Hurricane Debby
- Livestock Frequently Asked Questions – Hurricane Helene
- Natural Disasters and Crop Insurance Fact Sheet
- Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index (HIP-WI)
In addition to Federal crop insurance, USDA is also adding flexibilities to its disaster assistance programs. Learn more on the Hurricane webpage on farmers.gov.