VALDOSTA — Saying action was urgently needed to help storm-stricken farmers, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said Wednesday Congress needs to step in with a disaster relief program.

Speaking to press and political leadership in a Zoom call, Ossoff said 34 senators had agreed in a bipartisan effort to press for such relief to help an agricultural industry crippled by Hurricane Helene.

Ossoff said initial estimates showed losses of 35% of the cotton crop, 10-30% of peanuts and four million acres of timberland attributed to the recent hurricane. Fall crops were defoliated and Georgia’s citrus crop also took a hit, the senator said.

“Damage assessments are needed for agriculture across the entire Southeast, not just Georgia,” he said. “There were very significant impacts across the entire ag economy.”

After Hurricane Michael slammed into Florida as a Category 5 storm in 2018, Congress took more than a year to put together a farm disaster bill. “We can’t wait that long again,” Ossoff said.

He also said he wants to check to see if any Small Business Administration disaster funds might become depleted before Congress is back in session.