U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) is urging Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to declare portions of the Wiregrass as agriculture disaster areas in the wake of Hurricane Michael.
Roby recently toured farms in her Southeast Alabama congressional district that received catastrophic and irreparable damage to their crops. Cotton farms in the path of the storm were particularly affected as high winds and heavy rains made crops impossible to harvest mechanically.
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“Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in Alabama, especially in southeast Alabama,” Roby wrote in a letter to Perdue supporting Governor Kay Ivey’s request that he declare the appropriate hurricane-damaged counties in Alabama’s Second District as agriculture disaster areas.
“All areas in Alabama that were intensely impacted by this storm are in my district. The assessments on losses by individual farmers are ongoing, and I support Governor Ivey’s request to have all appropriate resources available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in this effort.
“I remain committed to our farmers that they receive the most fitting and best available assistance from USDA during this trying time, and I look forward to working with you as Congress addresses any further needs USDA may require in assistance to our farmers in the weeks and months to come.”
Roby is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.