WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News Flood Story 9/1/11

This is an excellent WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News story out of Orange County, New York, aired on 9/1/11. The correspondent is Marcus Solis (who was a really good guy). It details the impact of Hurricane Irene on the black dirt region of Orange County, New York. It was about the sixth extensive or significant flood since the "50 year" flood of 2005 that has hit the black dirt region of Orange County, New York. This is the most devastating of the six floods and is the most devastating since the benchmark flood of 1955. The old timers that experienced that flood are saying that this flood is worse than that flooding in 1955. What makes this situation so devastating is that it is taking place at harvest time, when the farmers have put in 85% to 95% of our expenses. This is the absolute worst time to experience this sort of weather disaster. This is devastating.

The point I heavily emphasized when interviewed that didn't make the cut was how inadequate USDA assistance is, crop insurance, the SURE program, etc .... I stressed that we have put in the bulk of our expenses in our crop and if all we are going to get is typical USDA assistance ...

WE ARE SCREWED!

I am sorry my friends at USDA, but that's a fact. If the farmers in the blackdirt are left to rely solely on USDA aid the majority will go out of business. We will not survive. The issue is not the timeliness of crop insurance payments, the issue is crop insurance pays pennies on the dollars or less on losses. If we don't get direct payments from FEMA for our crops WE ARE SCREWED!

Here is the proof of how problematic the federal crop insurance program is, found in my testimony before the U.S. senate Agriculture Committee in a hearing held on the next Farm Bill last year:

http://216.40.253.202/~usscanf/index2.php?option=com_events&task=view_det...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• flood
• onions
• WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News
• Hurricane Irene
• crop insurance
• disaster aid
• Wallkill River
• Orange County New York
• Chris Pawelski
• Marcus Solis
• Pine Island
• black dirt
• Army Corps of Engineers
• 50 year flood
• FEMA
• SURE Program
• Farm Bill

[ChrisPawelski]

@mewtashun : I did not state that and did not agree with that statement. I do not know what Maire was smoking when she said that. My statements were that this is the most catastrophic event to strike our farming community ever. When Marcus mentioned that this was the 6th "50 year flooding event" since 2005 I told him that but I emphasized this was the worst and this surpassed the benchmark flooding event of 1955.

Read the comments under the show more icon.

[mewtashun]

total devastation or just a little ding? figure that out will you please...