Disaster Resources

Crop Insurance

The first course of action for farmers who are experiencing flooding should be to contact their crop insurance agent.

It is important for the grower to be able to provide maps and locations of the fields and damage to the adjuster. It’s also important for the insured to let the adjuster know if they plan on destroying the crop, and not do anything until advised by the adjuster. Crop insurance will not cover for crops that have already been harvested and may still be in the field.

Western Growers Resources

What are the Best Management Practices On-Farm After a Flood?
On Farm Flood Management and Response Webinar | February 1st, 2023 (youtube.com)
Rapid Response – Flood
CPS: Flood Rapid Response

National Support
USDA Disaster Assistance Recovery Tool
USDA Disaster Resource Center

State Support
CDFA Flood Recovery Resources
Support for Flooding Conditions
USDA Service Center Locator Interactive Map

County Support

Monterey County

Water Data – Current River Conditions
Monterey County Water Resource Agency – Monterey County Reservoir Data

Kern County

Flood Information – Prepare for a Flood

Soil Sampling
California Flooding Events Soil Sampling and Testing

What to consider when submitting a soil sample

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has compiled a list of flood recovery resources.

• CDFA – Flood Recovery Resources (ca.gov)

Here are some resources to help develop an action plan after a flooding event regarding food safety:

• Western Growers’ On Farm Flood Management and Response Webinar video.

• Western Growers resource for key considerations for California flood assessments and associated soil sampling and testing.

FDA Resources
The FDA Safety of Food and Animal Food Crops Affected by Hurricanes, Flooding, and Power Outages page addresses the major concerns regarding crop safety associated with heavy metals, chemicals, bacteria and mold contamination. To meet established safety requirements, the FDA is working closely with state regulators and producers to address concerns.

• Safety of Food and Animal Food Crops Affected by Hurricanes, Flooding, and Power Outages | FDA

Western Growers Leafy Green Appendix F
The Appendix F Considerations for Addressing the Effects of Weather Conditions on Environmental Sources of Human Pathogens offers information regarding potential contamination risks associated with flooding, which is important for pre-harvest food safety and environmental assessments for leafy green operations. This document also provides potential corrective actions in response to hazards that may be present in the surrounding environment.

• Leafy Greens Appx F

CA LGMA Flooding Fact Sheet
The CA LGMA has provided a one-page fact sheet to guide responses to flooding. It contains best practices for three types of flooding events: if an existing crop has come into contact with flood water, if flooding is near existing crop but there is no direct contact, and for future crops where the ground has been flooded.

Two of the key takeaways are to document corrective/preventive actions and maintain records for two years for all types of flooding and to wait a minimum of 60 days before planting after a flood event to allow the soil to sufficiently dry out. The fact sheet states that soil testing can shorten the interval for planting to 30 days.

• Flooding Fact Sheet_Jan 2023 (lgma-assets.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com)

The UC Small Farm Food Safety has collected a list of produce safety and flood resources.

• Produce Safety and Flood Resources | UC Small Farm Food Safety (ucdavis.edu)

For additional information or questions regarding food safety, please reach out to WG’s AVP of Science Sonia Salas at [email protected].

USDA Resources

• For wildfire resources, visit the CDFA’s recovery information here.

• AUS and NZ Fact sheet, that outlines how bushfires can compromise the safety and quality of fresh fruit and vegetables, view here.

• Report by UC ANR (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources) evaluates the safety of locally grown produce and soil following the 2017 Northern California fires, view here.

• CDFA Guide on garden fruit and vegetables exposed to wildfire smoke, view here.

USDA Resources

• The USDA/CDFA hosted the California Disaster Assistance Webinar

• Q&A with USDA and California Department of Food and Ag about Disaster Assistance in California recording

• The USDA has created a Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool to simplify the process of identifying assistance programs

• Growers who are experiencing the effects of flooding are strongly encouraged to call their local FSA office immediately as they have several programs that can help, click here.

• The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) “provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland and conservation structures.”

• The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program is a federal emergency recovery program that helps local communities recover after a natural disaster.

This program is intended to protect life and property from severe erosion and unstable streambanks.

The EWP Program requires a government sponsor (city, county, improvement or conservation district) and there is oversight that is required.

• The USDA has a Disaster Assistance Programs page for easy reference to assess which assistance programs may be available: Disaster Assistance Programs (usda.gov)

• Both USDA and the Small Business Administration also have emergency loan programs which you may also wish to access:

• Emergency Farm Loans (usda.gov)
• Disaster Assistance Program | U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov)
• U.S. Small Business Administration Extends Deadline for Federal Disaster Loan

• The Farm Service Agency in California is accepting emergency conservation program applications. Signups extend from Feb. 13, 2023 – April 14, 2023. https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/California/news-releases/2023/-farm-service-agency-in-california-is-accepting-emergency-conservation-program-applications_02092023_rel001

The California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association (CACASA)

Contacting your agricultural commissioner to help with damage assessment is an important step as well. Your county agriculture commissioner is charged with collecting data on damages, and this data is used by federal and state agencies to determine the need for assistance for you and your community. The CACASA website provides an interactive map to show the contact information for the contact for your county: County Info | CACASA

California Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides Presidential Declaration
English Fact Sheet
Spanish Fact Sheet

The following links are for county-specific information:

El Dorado County
Wildfire & Disaster 

Merced County
Office of Emergency Services
Flood Resources and Information

Monterey County
Victims of Flood Damage 

Sacramento County
Recovery Resources

San Joaquin County
Flood Protection Information

San Luis Obispo County
Storms and Flood 

Santa Barbara County
Office of Emergency Management
Disaster Relief 

Ventura County
Disaster Relief
Rebuilding After a Disaster