1 year after Hurricane Helene, Georgia farmers still await federal relief

ATLANTA (WJBF) - It’s been one year since Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia, leaving behind nearly $6 billion in damage.

Of the state’s nearly 40,000 farms, about 25,000 suffered crop losses or farmland destruction, with agriculture and forestry hit the hardest.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture said federal block grants are in the final review stages with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said aid is beginning to reach producers, but more relief is still tied up in Washington.

“We’ve already seen $100 billion dispersed in Georgia, and it continues to roll out every single day,” Harper said. "We hope to have an announcement very soon on the dollar amount that we’ll be getting here in Georgia and the work that we’re doing to get th