WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — Farmers in South Georgia are preparing for the worst as now Tropical Storm Debby is expected to mostly affect Georgia along the coast.
Dr. Jamal Toure works at The Promised Land Farm in Chatham County. He said the county is under a curfew because of severe weather. The farm was preparing for its fall harvest. Toure said recovering from storms is harder for Black farmers.
"When it is a cold for other farmers, it is pneumonia for Black farmers," Toure said.
Toure said The Promised Land has been in Black hands since the 1980s. However, the threat of heavy rain and flooding to that land is growing.
"So, we're now getting concerned about that -- not wanting to have waterlogged fields, especially when we just planted some of the peas," Toure said.
Pam Knox is the director of the University of Georgia's weather network and an agricultural climatologist. Knox said she believes that most people don't realize how much agriculture means for the state's economy.
"Agriculture is the biggest industry in Georgia," Knox said. "If they've got seeds in the ground, as they're starting to do, those could easily get washed off."
Knox compared Debby to the likes of Hurricanes Idalia and Michael. She said floods like these can ruin a harvest and also used the cost of Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 to give perspective on the price of these types of storms.
"We know that the economic cost of Alberto was over $1 billion, and that was in 1994 dollars," Knox said.
Knox said not only does Debby have the potential to wipe out a year's worth of income for farmers, but eventually, it trickles down to the tables of consumers.
"If the vegetables are ready to be harvested and they're on the ground and they get hit by flood water, they cannot sell them because it's a food safety issue," Knox said. "You don't know what's in that flood water."
Toure said vegetables and fruits are a big part of their business. He's coming up with a plan B, as he prays Debby shows the farm mercy.
Knox said she expects corn, peanuts, pecans and cotton to be impacted the most. Pecan trees can be blown over by winds, and if the flood water sits, fungus can develop in saturated soil.