USDA announces estimated $207.7 million in Helene relief assistance to Georgia farmers

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stands on the left and lowers his head as pecan farmer Buck Paulk leads a prayer during a press event for Helene recovery in Ray City, Georgia.
Buck Paulk, property manager of Shiloh Pecan Farm, says a prayer after President Joe Biden speaks in Ray City, Ga., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, as part of Biden's trip to see areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. Listening from left are Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering relief assistance to Georgia farmers who are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, with estimated indemnities in the state predicted at $207.7 million.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told WABE that the department has been working quickly to provide resources to those in Georgia and other states in the southeast that have been affect by tropical storm damage.

“This is just the start, because we’re dealing with a major loss here,” said Vilsack. “But I think it indicates the desire of the Biden-Harris administration to make sure that we’re on top of this and that we’re doing everything we can to give resources to people as quickly as we can.”