Despite being in the path of one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history, most flour mills in the path of Hurricane Helene escaped damage and reported minimal disruption. Other parts of the agriculture industry didn’t fare as well with crop losses and poultry processing shutdowns that could result in billions of dollars in damages.
The category 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and moved northward, dumping heavy rain on Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and other southern states. More than 160 people have died and hundreds more have been reported missing from flooding associated with the storm, which is the second deadliest hurricane to strike the United States in the past 55 years.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said 107 poultry facilities had been damaged or destroyed by the storm, and the state expects Helene to be more costly than Hurricane Michael in 2018, which caused $2.5 billion in agricultural damage.
“This was a horrible blow to farmers, ranchers and rural communities across the Southeast,” said US Senator Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. “I’m focused on ensuring that these farmers and ranchers get the emergency assistance they need to get back on their feet as soon as possible.”
In the hardest hit areas, mainly across southern and eastern Georgia, total crop losses are being reported, which includes field flooding, building damage, down power lines and blown over trees, said Brad Rippey, a meteorologist with the US Department of Agriculture.
Many cotton, peanut and soybean fields are being reported destroyed, but damage assessment will take weeks due to road closures, down power lines and other impediments, the USDA said.
The worst flooding occurred in western North Carolina, where roads and even entire towns were wiped away by flood waters.
Bartlett, which has mills in the central and eastern parts of the state, said their facilities were not damaged and the impact on operations was minimal.
“We were very fortunate,” said Andrew Rutter, commercial manager for Bartlett, a Savage Company. “Our mills experienced very limited impact from Hurricane Helene, with only momentary power interruption during its peak.”
Rutter said the staff at Barlett’s facilities in Statesville and Wilson’s Mills had a plan in place to deal with the storm.
“The team worked proactively to adjust production schedules, including scheduling mill downtime during the storm to minimize the impact to operations,” Rutter said.
Bay State Milling’s flour mill in Mooresville, North Carolina, was not significantly impacted by the storm, said Alan Mersnick, plant manager.
“We did experience some electrical interruptions, so out of an abundance of caution we made the decision to halt production to prevent a loss of time and materials caused by intermittent stops and starts,” Mersnick said. “By (Friday afternoon) we were up and running at full capacity.”
He said some of Bay State’s customers were more seriously affected.
“Leading up to and following the storm, we’ve stayed in communication with our local customers,” Mersnick said. “Unfortunately, some of our customers in western North Carolina have been impacted, primarily due to power outages, compromised water treatment plants, and impassable roads, which have caused their facilities to pause operations. We remain in communication with those customers and are ready to support them and their needs as the situation evolves.”
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Two flour mills owned and operated by Lakeside Mills in Spindale and Rutherfordton, are located near the heart of the severe flooding in North Carolina. The mills are operating, said an office employee, and World Grain is seeking additional information from Bryan King, general manager of the mill.
Other companies that have mills in North Carolina, including Mennel Milling Co. and Lindley Mills, reported no damage and minimal impact on their operations.
Lindley Mills, which operates a facility in Graham, North Carolina, several hours east of the major storm damage, said some of their transportation partners in the area have been impacted and are finding alternative routes. Interstate 40, a major east-west throughfare for multiple industries, was closed in several places.
“What we’re hearing is that whole parts are pretty much washed away,” said Caroline Lindley, director of sales. “There’s very little cell service, very little power and water. It’s going to be a long time before they’re back to having basic necessities.”
Lindley said they do have customers in the Hendersonville/Charleston area who have power and are able to bake.
“They’re trying to feed those people, and we will do the best we can to help support them and to help feed the people in that area,” she said. “The same number of people are going to need to eat. It’s just going to be who is doing the baking and who is doing the delivery. People are trying to find ways. We’re just doing everything we can to support them.”
The Gulf Coast of Florida first felt the impact of the storm as it churned toward the United States. Ardent Mills’ Port Redwing, Florida, flour mill, which opened in 2022, escaped damage despite record storm surge that destroyed or damaged many homes and businesses in the Tampa Bay area.
Ardent Mills spokesperson Megan Anthony said the mill, which did not sustain damage, was shut down as the storm approached “to ensure the safety and well-being of our team members.”
“We also proactively secured the exterior of the mill and communicated with customers on our expected run time,” she said.
The hurricane, which caused major flooding in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area despite the eye of the storm being 100 miles to the west of coast, hit the area on the evening of Sept. 26, but Anthony said normal operations at the Port Redwing mill resumed the following morning.
