8463
S SR 39 | Clayton, IN 46118 | Phone: 765-318-8025 | Email: farmassistance@earthlink.net
Website: www.indianacertifiedorganic.com/farmassistance
What’s Available from FEMA?
- Application for Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance: It is not necessary to visit a FEMA office to file an application. Applications may be accessed on-line at https://www.disasteraid.fema.gov/IAC/ , http://www.fema.gov/ or http://www.emergency.in.gov. People may also call 1-800-621-FEMA or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. You need your Social Security number, your current and pre-disaster address, a phone number where you can be contacted, insurance information, total household income, a routing and account number from your bank, and a description of your losses. FEMA recommends you take pictures of any damage for your records.
- Qualifying for assistance: To receive money or help for housing needs that are result of a disaster, you must have losses in an area that has been declared a disaster by the president (see above for county listing); damage to your property is either not covered by your insurance or your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your losses; you or someone who lives with you is a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or qualified alien; damage is to a home where you usually live and were living at the time of the disaster; and you have accepted assistance from all other sources for which you are eligible.
- Housing needs: Money to rent a different place to live or government provided housing.
- Other than housing needs: Money is available for disaster-related medical and dental costs; disaster-related funeral and burial costs; clothing, household items (room furnishings, appliances) tools and other equipment required for your job; educational materials (computers, school books and supplies); fuels for primary heat source (heating oil, gas); clean-up items (wet/dry vacuum, dehumidifier); disaster damaged vehicle; moving and storage expenses related to the disaster, including moving and storing property to avoid additional disaster damage while disaster-related repairs are being made to the home.
- Repair: Money to repair damage from disaster to a primary residence that is not covered by insurance that will make it safe, sanitary and functional.
- Replacement: Money is available to homeowners for replacing a home in a disaster not covered by insurance.
- Permanent Housing
Construction: Direct assistance or money for construction of a home;
help available only in insular areas or remote locations specified by
FEMA where no other type of housing assistance is possible.
- Indiana State Bar Association prepared to help disaster victims
- The Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) has established a toll-free number for flood victims living in the eight counties approved for federal assistance by President George W. Bush. The ISBA will refer flood victims to Indiana attorney volunteers for free legal information regarding matters such as insurance claims, replacing legal documents, home repair contracts and problems with landlords.
- Residents who sustained losses in any county declared a federal disaster area can call the ISBA at 800-266-2581 for FREE legal information. Please note that the toll-free number will operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EDT
Emergency Grazing Land
Contact: Deborah Abbott
Phone: 317-232-8767, 317-448-5022
Email: dabbott@isda.in.gov
USDA Releases CRP Land in Flood Regions for Grazing Permission Is Granted in Presidential Disaster Counties for Grazing Only
On 7-7-08 USDA released Conservation Reserve Program land for livestock grazing in counties designated Presidential Disaster Areas. For more information about this and other emergency funding being made available, please contact the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, your local Soil and Water Conservation District Office or your local USDA office.
Food Sold for Human
Consumption
No plant where the edible portion was subject to floodwater can be sold
for human consumption. The FDA definition of “flooded” is: “The
flowing or overflowing of a field with water outside a grower’s control
that is reasonably likely to contain microorganisms of significant public
health concern and is reasonably likely to cause adulteration of edible
portions of fresh produce in that field.”
Contaminated Crops
Any crop that has come into contact with floodwater is considered “adulterated”
by the US Food and Drug Administration and cannot be sold for human consumption.
This applies to organic and conventional food crops as well as crops whose
edible portions are beneath the soil.
Organic Farmers
Organic farmers can apply for a variance or for emergency assistance through
Farm Aid by contacting Cissy Bowman, Hoosier Organic Marketing Education,
at farmassistance@earthlink.net
or by calling 765-318-8025.
Advice for Organic
Producers
Changing Your Rotation: Obtaining a Temporary Variance
Organic producers may find that the viability and potential profitability
of the crops they initially planted has been compromised and decisions
must be made whether to replant the same crop, plant another crop, or
not plant at all. The USDA-National Organic Program requires that farmers
rotate their crops and are operating under an organic system plan that
is approved by their certifier. This year, in flooded areas most organic
certifiers will not enforce filed farm-plan crop rotations in the declared
disaster areas. According to an e-mail letter from National Organic Program
Acting Director, Barbara Robinson, to Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture,
Bill Northey, to be eligible for the temporary variance a producer must
be farming in a county declared a disaster area and clearly document that
the crop planting was “actually delayed in planting due to heavy
rains and flooding.” You may obtain your variance by calling your
certification agency and requesting the form you need to fill out for
the variance.
Flooding and Organic
Certification
Many organic farms are located in areas that are affected by seasonal
flooding. In most cases, flooding is limited to low-lying areas and is
localized in terms of its impact. However, major floods, like the ones
that have taken place across Indiana this year have resulted in large
amounts of water that contains soil, trees, vegetation, woody debris,
dead livestock, containers of unknown substances and other materials to
flow onto organic land. The 2008 flooding has brought up many questions
of how floodwater and possible contaminants may affect organic certification.
Record Keeping
Record keeping is required on organic farms and it is very important to
keep good records of the impact of the flood—field by field where
possible. Dates and amounts of rainfall and information about any known
potential contaminants should be kept for review by your certifier. This
is the best way to document damages for certification and assistance.
If you find your operation is damaged in such a manner that you wish to
end your certification, you need to contact your certifier and ask how
as well as to check on your future ability to certify.
Organic Certification
Organic certification requires an annual inspection of the farming operation
including evaluating any potential contamination issues. Organic inspectors
inspect each field and evaluate flooded fields to determine if there are
any contamination concerns. Samples will be collected if there is reason
to suspect that a field has been contaminated. If you have had any testing
done yourself, you should send the results to your certifier immediately.
Floodwater Contaminants
Organic standards state that no prohibited materials can be applied for
at least 3 years prior to the harvest of the crop. Floodwaters that flow
through adjoining farm land, parking lots, industrial sites, or households
may pick up contaminants such as pesticides, oil, diesel, gasoline, paint,
or plastic. These contaminants may get carried in the floodwaters and
be deposited on downstream fields. In addition floodwaters may also contain
manure from livestock operations or sewage from septic tanks or sewage
treatment ponds that could pose a pathogen-contamination risk. In most
flooding events the volume of water dilutes the contaminants. The level
of concern about contamination will vary from farm to farm and field to
field.
Crisis Counseling
The Farm Resource Center (FRC) is a not-for-profit agency established
expressly to respond to the needs of rural families in crisis. FRC has
programs working for farmers, laborers, miners (including their respective
families) and at-risk abused and neglected children. FRC provides crisis
intervention outreach mental health services.
Toll free phone—24
hours a day: 877-633-3372
http://www.frci.org