Farmworkers in Georgia Face Crisis as Hurricane Milton Approaches.
As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, residents are preparing for their second major storm in less than two weeks. Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, leaving communities across the Southeast grappling with severe damage. Among the hardest-hit groups are farmworkers in southern Georgia, whose struggles often go unnoticed.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture estimates that Hurricane Helene caused billions of dollars in damages to the state’s agriculture sector, impacting over 100 farmers. However, the effects on the predominantly Latinx farmworker community—many of whom are undocumented or hold temporary work visas—have received little media attention. Since Hurricane Helene struck, thousands of farmworkers are facing destroyed homes and lost livelihoods.
Alma Salazar Young, state director of the UFW Foundation, expressed concern for the farmworkers, stating, “I’ve seen every struggle that farmworkers experience in their daily lives, but magnified times 100. Everyone in South Georgia is struggling, especially in hard-hit areas, but farmworkers are still an afterthought. Nobody is going the extra mile to take care of them.”
Georgia ranks among the top states employing migrant farmworkers through the federal H-2A program, which provides temporary agricultural work visas. Living conditions for these workers were already substandard before the storm. The H-2A program mandates that employers provide housing meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Yet, these minimum standards are often not met, leading to federal investigations citing farms for issues like mold, water damage, and unsafe wiring.
Undocumented workers, on the other hand, typically rent single-wide trailers. Seeking affordable housing, they often find themselves in subpar conditions, including mobile homes with holes, leaks, and inadequate security. These vulnerable structures were ill-equipped to withstand Hurricane Helene’s 90 mph winds.
The estimated 35,000 H-2A workers in Georgia, along with many undocumented immigrants, are not eligible for disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Conditions for the workers were already terrible, but now many don’t realize they are homeless,” Young noted. After visiting various affected communities, she observed trailers with roofs blown off and families struggling to find shelter in the remains.
Many farmworkers already lived in extreme poverty prior to the hurricane. H-2A workers earn a minimum wage of $14.68, while undocumented workers often make $10 to $12 per hour. For those paid by the piece—like baskets of blueberries or busloads of watermelons—hourly earnings can be even lower. With fields and farms destroyed, it is uncertain when they will return to work.
Additionally, many recruitment agents charge illegal fees to H-2A workers, forcing them to take out loans. If these workers cannot find employment, they will struggle to repay these debts while supporting their families. Furthermore, H-2A visas tie workers to specific employers, meaning they must return to their home countries if those employers can no longer provide work.
In the absence of government support, local churches and organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army are the main sources of relief for Georgia’s farmworkers. However, accessing these resources can be challenging.
“Before the storm, we were sharing information about shelters, but I had to translate it into Spanish for our farmworker leaders because it wasn’t available in their language,” Young said. Information about assistance often circulates through Facebook groups that many farmworkers are unfamiliar with, leading to missed opportunities.
Young expressed her disappointment over the lack of concern for farmworkers, especially after they risked their lives to provide food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adding to the challenge, police and National Guard personnel often appear at aid distribution sites, discouraging undocumented workers from seeking help. In May, Georgia passed House Bill 1105, which requires law enforcement to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when they arrest someone without documentation. Despite organizations like the Red Cross not asking for identification, many farmworkers are too afraid to seek aid, fearing deportation.
Alongside food and water, farmworkers are urgently requesting diapers and baby formula. “They’re just trying to make it day by day,” Young stated. “They haven’t had a chance to think about the future; they are focused on figuring out what to eat today.”
Immigrants make up a crucial part of the U.S. food supply, comprising an estimated 73% of agricultural workers. Young joined the UFW Foundation after directing Valdosta State University’s College Assistance Migrant Program, where she witnessed the sacrifices made by farmworkers during the pandemic “I’m so disheartened by how little people care about farmworkers,” Young said. “During the pandemic, they risked their lives to bring food to everyone across the country. Now that they’re in need, it feels like we’ve forgotten them.”
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