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USDA to begin WHIP payments for hurricane, wildfire victims

The USDA will make disaster payments of up to almost $2.4 billion to help producers recover from 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The funds are a part of the new 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program, or WHIP.  The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will make the payments to help those affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, as well as devastating wildfires. The USDA says 2017 was a historic year for natural disasters and WHIP is one of the programs that USDA is delivering to rural America to aid in recovery.

“America’s farmers feed our nation and much of the world, and throughout history they have known good years and bad years,” said Sonny Perdue, “but when significant disasters strike, we are ready to step in and provide the assistance they need.”