By John Estridge and a press release from the USDA
The meteorological event, which went through the Whitewater Valley on Monday, August 10, is rare but not unheard of.
It was a derecho.
According to an article on nationalgeorgraphic.com, a derecho is “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially defines a derecho as “a widespread, long-lived windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.” For a swath of storms to be classified as a derecho, it must travel at least 240 miles and move at speeds of at least 58 miles an hour, though the winds are often more powerful. The August Midwest derecho had winds up to 112 miles an hour.”
When it went through here, it was estimated top wind gusts were about 60 mph.
For people living in this area, luckily, these are rare events. Again from the nationalgeorgraphic.com: “It entered the public lexicon in 2012, when one of the most destructive derechos in history swept across roughly 700 miles from Ohio to the mid-Atlantic coast, killing 22 people and causing serious damage in metropolitan areas, including Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Below is a press release from the United States Department of Agriculture discussing crop insurance and filing claims associated with damage from the derecho.
Crop Insurance Reminders for Farmers Affected by Recent Weather Events
Springfield, Illinois– The recent storm system on August 10 resulted in significant damage to crops across the Midwest, including in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers a few basic reminders for producers in these affected areas with crop insurance:
· If you have a crop loss, or think you may have a crop loss, notify your crop insurance agent within 72 hours of the of the initial time of discovery of damage or loss of production. This must be done to begin the claim process, and before destroying the insured crop, putting the insured crop to an alternative use, or abandoning any portion of the insured crop.
· Your Approved Insurance Provider (AIP) will discuss your options and, if necessary, send a loss adjuster to work the claim.
· Keep in mind, damaged crops taken to harvest must be cared for and maintained following generally recognized good farming practices.
· If you decide not to maintain the entire crop, your AIP will work with you to identify representative sample areas or strips that must be left intact and maintained for future appraisals.
For more information, please see our Derecho FAQs.
Please talk with your crop insurance agent and AIP to explore the available options when your crops are damaged by a natural disaster.
RMA is authorizing additional flexibilities due to coronavirus while continuing to support producers, working through AIPs to deliver services, including processing policies, claims and agreements. RMA staff are working with AIPs and other customers by phone, mail, and electronically to continue supporting crop insurance coverage for producers. Farmers with crop insurance questions or needs should continue to contact their crop insurance agents about conducting business remotely (by telephone or email). More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
For more information about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net, visitwww.rma.usda.gov.