((PKG)) TOBACCO FARMER
((Banner: Assessing the Damage))
((Reporter: Bill Gallo))
((Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Adapted by: Martin Secrest))
((Map: Harnett County, North Carolina))
((Ken Revels, Tobacco Farmer))
You see, you see this right here? That’s what we call bruising. That’s what we call bruising. Now in a few days that will be brown. Right now, it don’t look too good. In four or five days, it looks like it’s going to be deteriorated pretty bad. Of course, you can see the leaves on the ground that the wind has actually blowed off.
At this stage, tobacco is what we call over ripe. So, anytime it gets over ripe, past maturity we call it, then something like this, it’ll deteriorate a lot quicker.
((NATS))
((Ken Revels, Tobacco Farmer))
It’s going to be at least probably four to five days before we can get into the field. So, that’s just going to add to the deterioration of the crop. Maybe even by that time, it might not even be harvestable. You know, it may be to the point that we say, well, it’s not any good.
((NATS))
((Ken Revels, Tobacco Farmer))
Peanuts, because they fruit in the ground, they could be damaged by the too much rain. Some of them are my neighbors, some of them are friends and we all face the same thing. Got tobacco in field, got cotton in the field, corn, peanuts and we are all up against the same situation.
((Ken Revels, Tobacco Farmer))
Millions and millions of dollars, maybe even billions. I mean I can’t put a figure on it, but statewide in both states, North Carolina, South Carolina, it could be billions of dollars.
((Ken Revels, Tobacco Farmer))
We’ve seen hurricanes before with storms Matthew, Fran, Hazel. In ‘54, I was six months old. I heard my parents talk about how bad it was and I think this one, I think they’re comparing this storm to Hazel in ’54.
((NATS))
