Gov. McMaster visits USCA to provide aid for farm and forestry works impacted by Hurricane Helene

More than 20 agencies were present, including the Farmer Veteran Coalition of S.C. and the USDA Farm Services Agency.

Governor Henry McMaster stopped at the University of South Carolina Aiken’s campus after announcing the Farm and Forest Recovery Resources Days launch.

The event, held on Nov. 15 in the Student Activities Gymnasium, provided a one-stop shop for South Carolina’s farming and forestry communities affected by Hurricane Helene to learn about available assistance and services. More than 20 agencies were present, including the Farmer Veteran Coalition of S.C. and the USDA Farm Services Agency. 

Last month, USCA hosted representatives from multiple emergencies, including health and insurance for individuals impacted by the storm.

Gov. McMaster has directed the focus on farmers and those in agriculture. He explained that they are often excluded from many of the emergency programs available to individuals.

McMaster is also calling on the Congressional Delegation to support $621M in federal emergency relief for S.C. Agriculture Related Storm Damage. “These staggering losses represent a critical blow to an industry already contending with rising inflation, labor shortages, and market pressures. The future of hundreds of agricultural operations is at risk, and without timely intervention, we face the prospect of long-term harm to the livelihoods of families who sustain our rural communities and contribute significantly to South Carolina’s prosperity and heritage,” McMaster wrote in his letter. 

He added that establishing a one-stop shop for those in agriculture could help address any questions. “Many people who I spoke with said that they had no idea that some of these programs even existed,” McMaster said. “Often times they would have to go to so many places around town to get the assistance they needed. By putting everything for farmers, agriculture, and businesses under one roof, especially since there are gaps in those systems, we’d thought it would be best for the Farm and Forest Recovery Resources Days to be the thing to do.”

“Farmers are citizens too. They have unmet needs as well that we can assist with,” said Ben Duncan, Chief Resilience Officer of the South Carolina Office of Resilience.

According to Nikki Gaskins, a media relations specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency has approved more than $221 million in housing and other assistance to at least 216,434 South Carolina households.

Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days will also occur in Greenville on Thursday, Nov. 21, and Myrtle Beach on Friday, Dec. 6.  

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.