South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Helene

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture has been allocated $38 million in federal funding to issue targeted aid to South Carolina farmers and forest landowners who sustained certain losses and damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024.

The South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Helene, which will roll out later this year, is aimed at production losses not covered by other USDA programs or crop insurance. The program will cover four categories of eligible losses: infrastructure damage, market losses, future economic losses, and timber losses.

The application period has not yet started. We expect to begin accepting applications by the end of 2025. In the meantime, producers and landowners should review this page to assess whether they may be eligible, and begin gathering required documentation.
 

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Who Can Apply

Farmers and Forest Land Owners – An eligible producer is a producer located in an eligible locality that suffered an eligible loss as a direct result of Hurricane Helene and had an ownership share and a production risk in the crop, livestock, or timber (including timber rights).

In addition, an eligible producer is a person or legal entity that must be a:

• citizen of the United States;
• resident alien; for purposes of this part, resident alien means “lawful alien” as defined in 7 CFR part 1400;
• partnership consisting solely of citizens or resident aliens of the United States;
• corporation, limited liability corporation, or other farm organizational structure organized under State law consisting solely of citizens or resident aliens of the United States; or
• Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined in section 4(b) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

Eligible Localities

This grant program only provides assistance for South Carolina farmers and forest land owners with losses in the 33 counties and one tribal area that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene. They are:

Eligible Losses

Eligible losses are necessary expenses related to the following:

Timber Loss

• Eligible timber losses are limited to private forest land.
• Applicant must be the owner of the property at the time of the storm.
• An application must be from an owner with a minimum of 10 contiguous forested acres, under the same ownership, on which there is a stand of at least 10 acres in which at least 15% of the trees suffered significant or greater timber damage from Hurricane Helene.
• The land must have had tree cover immediately before Hurricane Helene occurred and is suitable for growing trees.

Infrastructure Loss: On-Farm Building Structures

• Eligible on-farm building structures include, but are not limited to barns, silos, greenhouses, and poultry houses.
• The structure is not required to have a commodity or livestock present at the time Hurricane Helene hit as long as there is evidence that commodities or livestock were present in the structure 12 months prior to Hurricane Helene.
• The eligible structures must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene.
• Ineligible structures include, but are not limited to equipment buildings, repair shops, and movable equipment.

Infrastructure Loss: Above Ground Irrigation

• Eligibility for lost above ground irrigation systems is limited to above ground features and where evidence is present that it was used in agriculture production within 12 months prior to the adverse weather event that damaged the irrigation system.
• The eligible above ground irrigation system must have suffered at least a total of $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene per application.
• Ineligible structures include, but are not limited to pumps, wells, and irrigation infrastructure underground.

Infrastructure Loss: Aquaculture Infrastructure

• Eligible infrastructure includes, but is not limited to tanks, docks, breeding houses, and cages.
• The aquaculture infrastructure is not required to have aquaculture present at the time Hurricane Helene hit as long as there is evidence that aquaculture was present 12 months prior to Hurricane Helene.
• The eligible infrastructure must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene.
• Ineligible infrastructure includes, but are not limited to, boats and any equipment that is portable and not fixed or is capable of being moved from one place to another with ease and without being damaged.
• The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years, as detailed in section F.

Infrastructure Loss: On-Farm Roads, Bridges, and Culverts

• Eligible roads, bridges, and culverts must provide direct access to farm production, be privately owned, and be located on the farm.
• The eligible roads, bridges, and culverts must have suffered at least $750 in damage as a result of Hurricane Helene.
• Roads, bridges, and culverts located on forest land are not eligible.

Future Economic Loss

Future economic loss is a projection or prediction of the real economic losses that will be sustained for multiple years. Not all production or revenue losses due to Hurricane Helene will have occurred during 2024. Damages incurred during 2024 are projected to have an impact on expenses related to losses of revenue for several years into the future.

This category covers a loss of perennial crops, crops that take multiple years to mature, and shellfish that take multiple years to mature, due to Hurricane Helene that were expected to produce crops or mature shellfish and provide the Eligible Producer with revenue for multiple years. These payments are for necessary expenses related to the projected losses of revenue due to ongoing maintenance of the perennial crops and crops that take multiple years to mature.

• Eligible losses include perennial crops, crops that take multiple years to mature, and shellfish that need multiple years to mature, such as the loss of young oyster “seeds” due to a freshwater flush.
• Eligible loss is based on the years between planting and having a fully mature harvestable/sellable commodity which varies by commodity.
• The producer must have experienced a loss of at least 5% of their total eligible perennial crops (in aggregate) due to Hurricane Helene to be eligible.
• The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years, as detailed in section F.

Market Loss

This category covers a market loss due to the unavailability of markets off the farm, and the inability to market agricultural crop production direct to consumers on the farm as determined by the State due to Hurricane Helene.

• Eligibility is limited to markets tied directly to the eligible producer’s produced crops.
• Eligibility includes loss of a market, loss of stored commodities — excluding wheat, oats, and barley (including wheat, oats, and barley used for hay), corn, grain sorghum, long grain rice, medium grain rice, seed cotton, pulse crops, soybeans, other oilseeds, peanuts, hemp, and tobacco — or the inability to market existing value-added products.
• The crop must have been produced but could have spoiled before or after harvesting due to a lack of market availability.
• Losses tied to the producer’s operation that are not directly related to the sale of a crop (e.g., corn maze, hayride) are not eligible. Losses of sales of crops produced by other producers are not eligible, including if the producer purchased the products from another producer and intended to resell them.
• Producers must demonstrate at least a 5% loss, due to Hurricane Helene to be eligible.
• The producer must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for certain future crop years.

Required Documentation

We recommend you begin gathering documentation now in order to be ready when the application period begins.

Document requirements will differ according to claim type and producer type, but may include:

• Farmers will need a Farm Service Agency (FSA) number. Forest landowners will not need an FSA number.
• Tax Parcel ID
• Parcel Map
• Copy of Schedule F or other tax documentation demonstrating farming income
• Verified documentation of losses

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the grant application be available?

We expect the application period to open by the end of 2025 and run for 60 days.

How will I apply?

The application will be online only. We will offer training resources to help producers complete the online application.

I’m worried about missing the application window. Can you let me know when it’s time to apply?

Please sign up for emails at the top of this page.

What can I do now to prepare?

Producers should begin gathering paperwork and information. Please see the “Required Documentation” section above.

Will I be required to buy USDA crop insurance?

Certain producers must agree to acquire and maintain USDA Risk Management coverage for a period of two crop years for market loss, future economic loss, plasticulture, and aquaculture claims.

Will funds received through this state block grant program be taxable?

Yes. Funds received from the South Carolina Disaster Relief Block Grant for Helene will be taxable. Recipients will receive a 1099 for any funds paid under the grant program.

Is the block grant available to farmers statewide?

No. This grant program only provides assistance for South Carolina farmers and forest land owners with losses in the 33 counties that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene.

Have a question not answered here? Please email disaster@scda.sc.gov for assistance.