Dear all,
We are writing this today not just as Viticulture or Strawberry Extension Specialists, but as human beings whose friends have been affected by one of the largest natural disasters that struck Western NC, GA and SC in a long time. It is an absolute tragedy. As it becomes more and more evident how wide-spread and devastating the damage is, first and foremost our hearts go out to those who lost their loved-ones as a result of the storm.
Many farmers have lost close to everything. And while we might feel we can't help because our hands are tied, that is far from the truth.1. If you are not affected: Donate and Volunteer.
If you want to help your fellow friends and colleagues in the affected areas to rebuild their communities, please consider to donate or volunteer. This can happen to any community in NC, and we all rely on each other in times of crisis!Please download this sheet (pdf) provided by the NC Winegrowers Association (Thank you Patti and Hailey!!). It has all the information on where to volunteer and how to donate, plus it gives detailed information for the most affected counties on were to find stores open and fresh water.
Pleas also see the How to help page of NCSU that lists organizations that take donations and accept volunteers.2. If you are affected: Resources
I know at this point of time many don't have internet, but wide cell service has come back as of this morning is my understanding. There are resources that we can share with you and we will update frequently over the time of crisis.Please download this sheet (pdf) The last pages have information on it for NC counties of operations that have reported to be open (information is 2 days old).
The NC State Disaster Information Center provides some really good information: The NC Rural Center also has put up a Recovery and Resource Page (Thanks Amanda Lewis for sharing this!)Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers farm disaster relief for farming infrastructure.
Our hearts go out to all of you and we will keep this page updated over the next week.
Lexie McDaniel (Viticulture Advisor and Scholar)
Mark Hoffmann (Extension Specialist)
