Hurricane Debby is heading for SC. What’s the report on the ground, Commissioner?

Yes, farmers are keeping an eye on weather reports as Debby approaches. By the time this episode airs, it should be affecting our state.

What makes this storm unusual is the large amount of rain it’s forecast to bring, particularly to the Lowcountry.

• The forecast rainfall is the heaviest since October 2015, when we had our historic rain and flood event.

The state vet has issued a temporary waiver of certain requirements for farm and companion animals being evacuated from Florida due to Debby.

• The suspension of regulations does not apply to lactating dairy cows, who are still required to follow federal order requirements set in April 2024 to protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or H5N1).
• This suspension only applies to interstate transportation of animals and does not suspend the South Carolina law for cats, dogs, and ferrets, which are required to be current with their rabies vaccination.

Preparing for this storm is a good reminder of the importance of emergency planning for your farm or agribusiness.

Your ag lender likely has resources for farm emergency planning. But here are a few things to include in your planning:

• Warning and communication plans for family/employees
• Important contact information
• List of emergency supplies/equipment
• Farm/ranch map
• Farm/ranch inventory lists
• Procedures for all possible hazards, individual roles and responsibilities and actions required before, during, and after an emergency
• Evacuation/emergency shelter/ relocation locations
• Workplace safety procedures

Food manufacturing businesses and retail food establishments should also have a plan for an emergency. That could include where to relocate refrigerated and frozen food in the event of a power outage.

You can find more general planning resources on the website of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division: scemd.org/