Hurricane Hanna delivers blow to South Texas

Hurricane Hanna came and went with little fanfare but left South Texas with almost $400 million in direct and indirect damages to agriculture, according to a report by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Samuel Zapata, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, Weslaco, and contributor to the report, said Hurricane Hanna caused extensive damage to South Texas crops July 25-26. The storm tracked south-southwest of Corpus Christi, with much of the impact focused on the Lower Rio Grande Valley, although numerous counties experience some level of agricultural losses.

About 95% of the economic damage occurred in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Zapata said.

“We estimate that Hurricane Hanna caused over $366 million in lost agricultural production and associated business activity in the areas affected by the high winds and heavy rain it generated,” he said.

Crops lost to Hurricane Hanna

Commodities affected by the storms include cotton lint, cottonseed, citrus, sugarcane, sesame, sorghum, corn and soybeans, Zapata said.

The storm impacted 32 Texas counties: Aransas, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Matagorda, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Wharton, Willacy and Zapata.

In the most recent Texas Crop and Weather Report, AgriLife Extension specialists in Weslaco reported that Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties were hit with heavy rains, including 6-18 inches of rain, sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts of 60-plus mph.

Perennial crops like citrus and sugarcane were exposed and subject to significant losses in annual production, Zapata said. The potential annual harvest of citrus was reduced by almost one-third, while almost half of the annual sugarcane production was lost.

Citrus and sugarcane producers suffered direct gate-value losses of $66.7 million and $12.2 million, respectively, he said. High winds caused much of the damage to those crops though long-term effects of flooding could add to producer losses, according to AgriLife Extension specialists.

Rio Grande Valley cotton was perhaps the most vulnerable crop, Zapata said, having been defoliated but mostly unharvested. Around 95% of the cotton crop was lost.

Direct losses of cotton lint and cottonseed were valued at $76 million and $14.2 million, respectively, he said.

Cotton lint was damaged by rain and high winds that left the commodity wet and strung out along crop rows, and mud splatters led to discoloration, according to AgriLife Extension specialist reports. Cottonseed sprouting was expected following exposure to excess moisture.

“Typically, these types of storms hit Texas later in the hurricane season and after most harvests are complete,” Zapata said. “But Hurricane Hanna caught the cotton crop at the worst possible time.”

Fortunately, grain and vegetable production were relatively unaffected due to timing, he said. Most harvesting operations had concluded for those crops before the storm arrived.

Widespread economic impact of Hurricane Hanna

Zapata estimated the sum farm-direct gate value of the crop losses associated with Hurricane Hanna at $176.6 million. This value is associated with another $102 million and $87 million worth of indirect effects of business lost and induced effects to consumer expenditures, respectively, in the affected 32-county region.

The lost economic activity is also associated with 3,670 jobs in the region, he said. And lastly, it represents an estimated $188 million reduction in the value of the regional economy, or its contribution to the gross domestic product.

The network of AgriLife Extension agents in those counties conducted expedited assessments of the damages for this economic impact study. Additionally, Gov. Greg Abbot issued a Disaster Declaration for the 32 counties affected by Hurricane Hanna.

Zapata said the hurricane damage exacerbated already poor market conditions for all commodities due to COVID-19.

“The current situation with COVID-19 was already difficult on farmers because commodity prices were low overall,” he said. “The hurricane just added to the problems for farmers in those areas who experienced significant damage.”