It has been over a week since Hurricane Hanna struck south Texas. The flooding continues and fields of crops are still bodies of water.
Willacy County, Texas, located near the southern tip of the state has a population of 22,000. Its economy is largely agriculture based, with much of it coming from its cotton crop. Hurricane Hanna flooded out several fields of cotton and now the county fights to recover.
The farmers in the county are an important part of its economy.
“That’s what Raymondville, Willacy County is noted for, for the agricultural business,” Mayor Gilbert Gonzales said. “It brings a lot of money to the area itself.”
With flooding and these major crop losses, local businesses take a hit.
“It sets it back,” Mayor Gonzales added. “It is discouraging, of course. Anybody losses something, it’s discouraging.”
Much of the cotton crop was affected by the storm, but not all. Some fields will be able to be harvested, but farmers will not get the anticipated profit. Of course, more money would have helped in a town economy already shut down by COVID-19.
We still have another battle to beat and that’s COVID-19, and we will certainly have to do everything in our power to protect ourselves and those around us,” Gonzales said.
The mayor believes that there is hope for local farmers and the small shops in town they do business with. He hopes that the farmers get the aid that they deserve and continue keep their crops up as they always have.
The USDA is working with 14 different states, including Georgia, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
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