Agriculture Emergency Response Team

1. Agriculture Emergency Response Team AERT Partnering with NC Emergency Management, Civil Air Patrol, NC Counties, and others to assist communities with recovery after a disaster

2. Agenda • Background • What is AERT? • Department Personnel • Questions

3. Background Information

4. Natural Disasters Agriculture and Farm Communities Ag 77+ billion $ industry Employs 1 out 8 workers Hurricane Irene: $400 m ~ 300m Ag IA and PA programs do not Assist farmers

5. NC Farm Numbers

6. First Tobacco Sweet Potatoes Second Hogs Turkeys Christmas Trees Trout Sold Third Cucumbers Tomatoes Fourth Broilers Peanuts Strawberries N.C.’s Rank in U.S. Agriculture • Fifth • Upland Cotton • Peanuts • Greenhouse / Nursery • Cash Receipts • Catfish Sold

7. Bottom Line • Agriculture is extremely important to NC • Assisting farmers and farming communities is a top priority • Building and developing a partnership, will help to assist communities Thus the question is: How can we assist farming communities in a time of need? AERT is born…

8. What is AERT?

9. Drought, Hurricanes, Tornados….. • “We can’t get our equipment in the fields…” • “Animals & livestock are all over the place…” • “Equipment and barns with damaged roofs….” • “Crops are blown over…” • “There are limbs and trees blocking roads and access points…”

10. What they were saying… • Debris needs to be removed • Fences need temporary repair • Equip. and structures need to be tarped • Crops/nurseries need assistance • We need access to roads and entryways

11. Tasks were developed to assist farmers and farming communities… • The Five AERT Tasks: • Field Debris Removal • Temporary Fence Repair • Tarping • Harvestability • Tree / limb cutting***

12. What is AERT? • AERT = Agriculture Emergency Response Team - Comprised of 8 – 10 members, a leader, and AERT trailer - That deploy upon request, to accomplish AERT tasks

13. Teams • NCDA&CS Personnel + Leader 8 – 10 team members • Civil Air Patrol Personnel +CAP Leader 8 – 10 team members + NCDA&CS (Leader / Liaison)

14. AERT Trailer Currently have 3 trailers across the state: West: Morganton Central: Raleigh East: Kinston

15. Agriculture Emergency Response Team AERT • Goal: provide help to fill the gaps farmers and farming communities encounter immediately after natural disasters

16. Plan • Train NCDA&CS employees • Register through SERVNC • Maintain contact information • Train as Team member / Team Lead / Liaison • Train CAP Personnel • CAP maintains own rosters and contact information • Train-the-trainer • Deploy upon request – Teams come from? • NCDA&CS • CAP • Other

17. Personnel

18. Mission Flow: Request • AgEOC • AERTs Teams to county

19. Mission Flow: Deployment • Teams will work at discretion of requesting county • NCDA & CS will have input through Team leader and County EOC rep.

20. AERT Agriculture Emergency Response Team Building a Partnership ● #1 Priority - Safety ● Missions must be routed through county and state EM ● Program assists farmers / farming communities

21. Questions Mike Mayes NCDA & CS Emergency Programs 919-807-4309 Michael.mayes@ ncagr.gov