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. N.C.’s Rank in U.S. Agriculture First  Tobacco  Sweet Potatoes Second  Hogs  Turkeys  Christmas Trees  Trout Sold Third  Cucumbers  Tomatoes Fourth  Broilers  Peanuts  Strawberries 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… Field Debris Removal Temporary Fence Repair Tarping Harvestability Tree / limb cutting*** The Five AERT Tasks:

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: MorgantonCentral: RaleighEast: 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 ResourceTrained PersonnelChain Saw Crews** NCDA &CS = 10 NCDA&CS61 Civil Air Patrol18

18. Mission Flow: Request Assessment County Extension NCDA & CS Farmers County EOC Request for Team Extension County Ranger County EM NCDA & CS SEOC Mission approved Teams to county AgEOC AERTs

19. Mission Flow: Deployment CountyFarmTask  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