Our hearts go out to the Appalachian communities deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene. While it’s painful to see so much devastation, we are in awe of the outpouring of aid from agencies, organizations and citizens who are pitching in to provide so many supplies and volunteer help. Currently, ASD is  focused on connecting our regional farmers with emergency resources. We will be updating this list daily as information becomes available. 

If you are aware of a resource that’s not listed here, please share it with dbrowning@asdevelop.org so it can be added to the page.

Federal and National Support Resources

• USDA Disaster Assistance Programs At-A-Glance Brochure
• Small Business Administration (SBA) – Disaster loans
• USDA NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program
• Farmers.gov – Hurricane Recovery Resources
• USDA Farm Services Agency – Disaster Assistance Programs
• Farm Aid – Family Farm Disaster Fund
• DisasterAssistance.gov – Emergency Farm Loans
• USDA Tree Assistance Program – Financial Assistance for Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers
• USDA Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP)
• Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program – to help landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland or forests
• D-SNAP – The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), also known as disaster food stamps, helps you pay for food if you live in a state with an Individual Assistance declaration from the president. D-SNAP provides funds on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to pay for food. Even if you do not normally receive or qualify for food assistance through SNAP benefits, you may qualify for D-SNAP.
• FEMA – General Info in English and in Spanish

State resources

• North Carolina Department of Agriculture – Emergency Programs
• University of Florida Extension Assessment Survey
• University of Georgia Extension: Dealing with Pasture, Hay, Feed and Livestock Losses
• University of Tennessee Extension Resources for Disaster Recovery
• Virginia Cooperative Extension – District Offices and Local Contacts. Local Extension Agents are taking damage reports to submit to FEMA through their Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. A link to their survey form is here.

Emotional support resources

• 1-800-985-5990 – The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
• 1-800-FARM-AID – For farm families under extreme stress who need a sympathetic ear, someone to listen and provide relief from the anxiety and desperation they may be experiencing.