Hurricane Helene hit the U.S. in late September last year, causing widespread destruction to residential areas and farmland. Despite this event happening over a year ago, Georgia farmers still await their financial assistance.
The storm brought flooding, downed power lines and more, totaling $5.5 billion in agricultural and forestry losses in Georgia alone. In response to this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state Agriculture Department approved a $531 million block grant to be spent on rebuilding infrastructure and replacing the crops lost in the storm.
As of this fall, this help has not fully arrived, and divisions within the government are to blame. Extensive, tedious negotiations have occurred between state and federal agencies over how the $531 million should be distributed to Georgia farmers. State officials argue they’re waiting for federal clearance, while federal officials say they’re waiting for finalized state data. This issue has been worsened by the government shutdown on Oct. 1, as any non-essential administrative work has been halted.
The longer the allocation and delivery of these funds are delayed, the worse the effects of the hurricane on farms and small towns will become. At this time, farmers have taken on high-interest loans, while others have had to lay off workers to balance budgets with the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services declared a public-health emergency in 2024 due to contamination and power outages. The extent of this destruction is worsened as these issues are allowed to linger without response. In addition, missing funds are entirely unfair for local governments. With no outside aid, small towns have to manage the cleanup immediately after the storm, either putting the city into debt or leaving the work incomplete, leaving residents unable to travel or even live in their homes.
To the farmers whose lives have been completely uprooted by this storm, these explanations are hollow and serve only as excuses for a larger issue at hand. Response to Helene is not unique, either. In Puerto Rico, following Hurricane Maria’s devastation of the island in 2017, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated $13.2 billion for recovery according to The Guardian. As of mid-2023, and still today, only a tiny fraction of that — roughly $40.3 million — has actually been spent on meaningful projects.
Some would argue that this deliberation of funds and assessment of the situation is necessary in deciding how to allocate the funding effectively. While sizing up the situation is vital, it does not have to take as long as it has in these emergencies where lives are at stake and futures are on the line.
Unfortunately, states do not always use block grants provided by the federal government in places where they should, and miscommunications can happen. A 2023 Government Accountability Office investigation revealed major issues with how states and territories managed Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. The report discovered that several households approved for disaster aid had already received FEMA assistance or exceeded income limits, increasing the risk of fraud and misuse of recovery money. Even years after major storms in 2017 like Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria, billions in federal block grants continue to be mismanaged and delayed.
This issue could be solved by pre-approved state-federal funding frameworks that release funding within weeks rather than months. States need to collaborate with federal organizations like FEMA to create preparations for natural disasters and other emergencies, just like a hurricane. There is no reason in the modern age, where emergency response technology and efficiency are at an all-time high, that people do not receive help within days. The same should be true for funding because, without funding, nothing gets done.
Time and time again, federal and state governments have clashed over allocated powers, hindering response and funding efforts to people who don’t have a home to live in. Predetermined plans need to be set in place with a base amount of funding so the states can respond to emergencies and give funding to those who need it.
