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Georgia reps introduce bill to update hurricane insurance program

On. Feb. 10,  Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia 1st District), alongside Reps. Rick Allen (R-Georgia 12th District) and Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia 2nd District), introduced the Farmers’ AID Relief Act, amending the Hurricane Insurance Protection - Wind Index (HIP-WI) program to better serve farmers affected by hurricane damage.

“This legislation ensures that when hurricanes strike and official weather data falters, reliable numbers from trusted sources step in to guarantee that insured farmers aren’t left stranded. It strengthens the promise of the program by providing a common-sense safeguard so Georgia farmers can count on fair assistance when storms hit hardest. We appreciate Congressman Carter’s continued focus on this issue and wholeheartedly encourage its expedited progress toward becoming law," said Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall.

The HIP-WI program is a wind-based insurance option managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and designed to protect farmers impacted by hurricanes. The program relies on storm-tracking data systems to determine eligibility for the program; however, those systems are vulnerable to inaccuracies, leaving many farmers who experienced significant crop losses without federal protection.  

For example, during Hurricane Helene, the data used for HIP-WI showed the storm traveling through the middle of Georgia. In reality, Helene shifted east, causing widespread damage to farms in the southeast and eastern parts of Georgia. Unfortunately, USDA is required to use the inaccurate data set when determining HIP-WI eligibility, causing unnecessary financial hardship for Georgia’s farmers.

The Farmers’ AID Relief Act updates HIP-WI so the program  better reflects real-world storm paths and protects farmers affected by damage.

 This bill would direct the secretary of agriculture to create an alternate data set for HIP-WI determinations to be used in the event of an incomplete data set. It would also set uniform standards for the collection and use of the alternate data set. 

Read full bill text here.

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