Georgia officials agree to spend $100 million on Hurricane Helene aid for farms and forestry
ATLANTA– The Georgian state government is spending $100 million on loans to farmers and cleanup efforts afterward Hurricane Helene.
The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission voted unanimously Friday to spend the money, which was set aside for construction projects or paying off existing debt.
Officials estimated last month that the storm, which caused extensive damage in the eastern half of the state after making landfall in Florida on September 26, caused $6.46 billion in economic losses in the state’s agricultural and forestry sectors.
Cotton, pecan and chicken farmers suffered heavy losses, as did owners of private forest lands. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and others have called the damage a “generational loss.”
The Georgia Development Authority, a state agency that lends money to farmers, will receive $75 million to provide emergency assistance loans to farmers and related businesses in the agricultural sector. The remaining $25 million will be spent cleaning up timber losses and other debris, said Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for Gov. Brian Kemp.
Because Georgia has been flush with excess moneyit has paid for construction projects with cash, rather than the traditional method of selling bonds to borrow money. The $100 million was set aside for future expenditures but was not allocated to any project already underway, Douglas said.
Because Georgia ended last year with a $2 billion surplus, lawmakers could potentially replace the $100 million if they amend the current budget during the 2025 legislative session, which begins in January.
The state did not spend the same amount of money after 2018’s Hurricane Michael. Helene’s damage to agriculture is estimated to be more than twice as expensive as Michael’s. The earlier storm was followed by one federal fight for help which delayed aid to farmers. Georgia itself has spent more than $470 million about loans and recovery after Michael.
“This is something we learned we can do,” Douglas said of the $100 million. Kemp and other state leaders say they will consider additional relief, both during the General Assembly in January and through administrative action before that.
“We will continue to work with stakeholders at all levels to provide resources and support to the hardworking Georgians devastated by this storm,” Kemp said in a statement Friday.
Kemp, Georgia State House Speaker Jon Burns and others have urged Congress to act quickly on an aid package for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They are asking Congress to provide state subsidies that states can then give to farmers for recovery purposes. Burns is pushing for similar block grants that states could spend to repair damaged infrastructure and help private businesses and citizens.
“This measure will provide necessary financial relief to farmers and foresters as we continue to work with our federal partners to secure all available assets and resources for Georgians affected by this disaster,” Burns said in a statement.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday it has already spent $1.3 billion on direct relief to people after Helene and Hurricane Milton. FEMA has spent more than $1.1 billion on debris removal and emergency protection measures.
The Georgian government itself cannot provide direct aid to people and private businesses because the state constitution prohibits so-called gratuities — what most people would call gifts. Georgia Agribusiness Council Chairman Will Bentley told a Senate committee Monday that a constitutional amendment is needed to allow direct disaster relief.
In addition to Kemp, Burns and Jones, other committee members who voted in favor of the spending included State Auditor Greg Griffin, Attorney General Chris Carr, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and State Treasurer Steve McCoy.
The Georgia Development Authority will meet Monday in Macon to spend the $100 million.