Topics: Agricultural and Applied Economics, Animal and Dairy Science, Crop and Soil Sciences, Economy, Horticulture, Natural Disasters, Poultry Science

Hurricane Helene Impact Report

AP 133-1

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In this resource

UGA Extension contacts:
J. Moore, Jacob Price, Marvin Wells, Casey Ritz, Wade Parker, Jillian Bohlen, Tim Coolong, Lawton Stewart, Gregory Colson, Walter Monfort, Todd Applegate, Mary Sutton, Michael Adjemian, Lavesta Hand, Zilfina Rubio Ames, and Ping Yu

We estimate that Hurricane Helene’s damages to Georgia agriculture and forestry will cost the state economy at least $5.5 billion in 2024 present value. This figure represents the sum of direct crop losses, losses to firms that support agriculture and forestry, losses to workers in those and related industries, and the recovery and restoration costs that firms in these industries will face. The Georgia Forestry Commission is a collaborator with UGA on this publication.

Estimating the Impact of the Storm on State Agriculture

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, before cutting across the state of Georgia’s agriculture- and forestry-rich production areas. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the storm affected every crop that Georgia farmers produce. Estimates contained in this document are based on projections by University of Georgia commodity analysts, Georgia Forestry Commission foresters, and a model of Georgia’s state economy.

Visit our Hurricane Helene topic page for this report in HTML format.

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status, and is an Equal Opportunity Institution.