Days removed from the initial impact of Hurricane Matthew, historic flooding continues to threaten green industry business across eastern North Carolina. While several wholesale nursery operations remain under several feet of water, businesses that have seen flooding recede are left to assess catastrophic damage to crops, structures and equipment.
“The damage wrought by Hurricane Matthew on our members is absolutely devastating,” said North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA) President Brad Rollins.
As support and offers of assistance from across the state and across country have continued to pour in, NCNLA has been developing resources to coordinate those efforts to best assist affected businesses in the short and long-term. “Ours is a unique industry, one in which competitors come together to lift one another up,” Rollins said. “We’re going to need every bit of that support in the weeks and months ahead.”
In response to the storm, NCNLA has deployed several resources to begin to assist members in their ongoing recovery efforts:
NC Green Industry – Hurricane Recovery Facebook Page: A number of businesses have shared personal stories, along with some harrowing images, from the storm. In the coming weeks, this resource will be used to coordinate volunteer assistance/clean-up events at businesses that are need assistance. NCNLA will also share the latest news, including recovery and relief information from federal and state authorities, as it becomes available.
The NC Green Industry – Hurricane Recovery Facebook Page can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/ncgreenhurricanerecovery/. A Facebook account is not required to view this public page, which has already reached over 1,000 individuals in the two days since it was created.
Green Industry Damage and Loss Assessment Survey: In conjunction with North Carolina Cooperative Extension and the North Carolina Farm Bureau, NCNLA has developed an industry-specific Damage and Loss Assessment Survey to more accurately gauge the extent of damage to green industry businesses in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.
This online survey is broken into four categories for wholesale nurseries, landscape firms and retail garden centers to report damage to crops, structures and facilities, stored materials and equipment. As the potential for additional aid may be considered given the severity of the storm, affected green industry businesses across North Carolina are encouraged to report damages by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HURRICANEMATTHEWASSESSMENTSURVEY.
NCNLA Hurricane Recovery Resource Page: NCNLA will continue to update this information portal with available federal and state aid resources for affected businesses and individuals. The Hurricane Recovery Resource Page contains information about programs available to members as they begin to rebuild, including detailed information about eligibility for these programs as well as information for the appropriate entities to contact when requesting assistance.
NCNLA’s Hurricane Recovery Resource Page can be viewed HERE
“NCNLA stands ready to assist our industry in any way possible as we start out on the road to recovery,” Rollins said. “Please don’t hesitate to contact the staff at the NCNLA office so that they can direct resources to where they are needed.”
The North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA) represents growers, landscapers, retail garden centers, suppliers, horticulture students and educators. NCNLA’s ultimate goal is to benefit its members’ economic, professional and personal growth. More information about NCNLA can be found at www.ncnla.com.
