AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — Farmers and business owners in North Carolina who rely on the land for their livelihood could soon get a hand from the state and federal government.
Officials with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other state agencies held a walk-through event in Avery County on Wednesday to assess the damage.
“If they had equipment damaged, if they had a tractor damaged, if their livestock or product was damaged, they can come in here and get the assistance that they need,” said Jace Genco with FEMA.
Tim Benfield and his family own Riverdale Nursery just outside of Newland. He says 32 of his 39 greenhouses were badly damaged after Helene hit the area causing more than $2 million in damages.
The third-generation farmer says building back his nursery could take years, but he hopes to get help to keep the nursery going for his sons.
“I feel that the government needs to help. We’ll see. We’re hopeful,” he said.
Benfield isn’t alone. Benny Vance is a Christmas tree farmer. He showed Channel 9′s Dave Faherty photos of where a landslide took out thousands of trees on his farm.
“Just a lot of labor and a lot of cost trying to get it cleaned up and back to normal. I really don’t know if we’ll ever be back to normal,” he said.
We’re told FEMA is visiting several other counties including Yancy County on Thursday and Ashe County on Friday.
VIDEO: FEMA homes sit unoccupied despite urgent need for housing in western North Carolina
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