Governor Pat McCrory toured Washington and Tyrrell Counties today to assess the damage caused by Tropical Storm Hermine. Farmland in Washington County makes up about 91,398 acres while Tyrrell County farmland is 64,590 acres. Washington and Tyrrell Counties received at least 5-10 inches of rain during the storm.
"Our emergency operations team and county, local and city officials throughout the state have worked together to help wherever it was needed, from Sunset Beach to the Outer Banks," Governor McCrory said. "While the majority of the state did not see major damage, many of our farmers and a number of North Carolina’s coastal communities have been impacted by Hermine."
Governor McCrory made stops in Creswell and Columbia, North Carolina to see firsthand how the agriculture community, especially corn, soybean and cotton farmers were impacted from gusty winds and heavy rain. While the state is still evaluating damage, farmers there are hopeful that floodwaters will recede quickly from fields, to allow the roots of crops planted there to breathe.
The governor was accompanied by state and local officials, including N.C. Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry and N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
Federal government regulations of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is compounding flooding issues on these farms. Governor McCrory highlighted how the federal government is trying to convert farmland into swampland, and that the state is continuing its effort to protect North Carolina farmers and economic development.
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