Disaster Resources for Markets and Farmers

 

Two of the questions that come up as we watch the aftermath of hurricanes including Harvey, Irma, Maria, and now Florence are: “how can I help?” and “am I prepared for a similar disaster?”

First things first, consider donating to the emergency farmer support campaigns administered by FMC’s members and partners in the impacted area, like the fundraisers from previous hurricanes listed at the bottom of this page. Funds like these help local farmers get back up on their feet following natural disasters. Please note: We will be adding fundraisers and resources to this page for farmers and markets impacted by Hurricane Florence as they become available. 

Hurricane Florence Resources:

Recovery Resources:  

More Helpful Links: 

There is no way to truly prepare for the impact of natural disaster, but you can prepare your market, vendors, and shoppers for what comes next. Farmers markets across the country have navigated the recovery and rebuilding process and learned some key lessons.

Our colleague Dar Wolnik helped New Orleans markets recover after Hurricane Katrina and recently shared some of her experiences implementing Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) after the storm. “Just like our work in farmers markets, the most direct help is often painstaking to set up but builds better connections,” says Wolnik. “I can say that many of the folks who reached out to our NOLa market team directly after the levee breaks of Hurricane Katrina became dear friends and we had a stronger relationship with many of our peer markets because of that contact.”

D-SNAP Resources:

The exhaustion and grief that attends disasters is immense, but help is available. A critical first step to accessing help is to document losses and complete the paperwork necessary to qualify for and access federal, state, and local assistance.

Our colleague Scott Marlow, the Executive Director of RAFI and a national expert in disaster assistance programs, recently penned an open letter to his colleagues in Texas that is a must-read for all markets. As Marlow emphasizes, it is essential to understand the agencies and programs designed to assist producers and markets recover from natural disasters.

Previous Fundraisers: