77 



10 



I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank the many 

 officials both elected and appointed for their assistance in resolving 

 many of the day to day issues surrounding the disaster programs. Both 

 USDA & ASCS have shown a willingness on several issues to expedite 

 matters. The county committee certainly appreciates the extension of 

 deadlines with regard to cleanup and irrigation practices. Of great 

 help to the producers were the advance payments that immediately placed 

 dollars in the hands of agriculturists rebuilding. I wish to thank 

 Congress for their sensitivity in appropriating additional funding for 

 the hurricane victims and Secretary Espy for expediting the transfer of 

 funds from the Conservation Reserve account to the Emergency 

 Conservation Program. 



In summary I would offer the following recommendations for future 

 disaster program administration: 



1. Immediately assist local committee to assess damage, cost of 

 cleanup and rehabilitation. There occurred a breakdown in the 

 information flow between local county committee and Washington ASCS. 



2. Authorize advance payments to producers similar to FEMA's 

 response to private citizens. Perhaps a voucher system could be 

 utilized to prevent too many "cash" transactions. 



3. Redefine crop year as it pertains to nurseries, tropical fruit 

 and agriculture. Most crops do not fit into a calendar year. 



4. Take into account production loss for subsequent years on 

 crops that require many years to come into commercial production. 



5. Streamline computation and log-in procedures to expedite 

 claims at the county committee level. 



