South Carolina farmers facing third year of tropical storm destruction, at least $125M in damages
For three of the past four years, cotton farmers in the Pee Dee have lost their crops to catastrophic flooding.
In 2015, the 1,000-year-flood brought more than $330 million in damage. A year later, Hurricane Matthew cost another $50 million.
Florence will provide yet another hit, and several farmers across the Pee Dee know their crops will once again be decimated. They are waiting with anxiety to learn how much federal crop insurance will not cover — and how much, if anything, the government will provide in emergency farm aid.
The ultimate answers will affect everything from farmers’ ability to remain in business to government balance sheets to the future availability of boiled peanuts on the side of the road.
Read more: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/sc-farmers-facing-third-year-of-tropical-storm-destruction-at/article_c6a3cbd6-bb8e-11e8-b14c-9b14d563cca1.html