In the department, we recently went over our emergency response plans, which serve as a great reminder for farms and homeowners to review their emergency plans, too. Taking a few minutes to review your plans now with family and workers outside the rush of a storm can help ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

• A few weeks ago, key staff members in the department went over our disaster response plan, reviewing how our  department responds and discussing things that were learned from Hurricane Helene.
  
•   With the projection of a busy hurricane season, it is always a good reminder to review your emergency response plans with workers and family members, so everyone knows what to do when major storms are headed your way.
  
  
• It is also a good time to review your important documents and contact information to be sure they are up to date and you can quickly get in touch with people if you need to.
  
  
• Listeners can find a Farm Emergency Plan Template and checklist online on our homepage at www.ncagr.gov. This is a very helpful document that has been put together in partnership with the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute.
  
  
• This template helps consolidate important contacts including phone numbers, farm GPS coordinates and chemical storage information into a simple form that can be saved, printed and kept on file.
  
  
• Several sections offer recommendations and information on best practices for storing important information and documents, agrichemical spill kits to have on hand, storing and maintaining fertilizer and other chemicals, biosecurity recommendations, plus checklists for items you need to have in an emergency for your family, your livestock and pets.
  
  
• You may not need everything mentioned in this template, but it is a good starting point and may help you add things you need to have on hand that you may not have thought of.
  
  
• Unfortunately, we get a lot of practice in North Carolina dealing with hurricanes and tropical storms and I know our farmers jump into action when threatening weather is approaching.
  
  
• I sincerely hope this is an uneventful hurricane season, especially after 2024, because our farmers could use a break.