Informational opportunities for farmers to explore insurance coverage options for hurricanes & tropical storms

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) is hosting webinars and making resources available for farmers to understand and evaluate Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) endorsement and Tropical Storm Option (TS).

The virtual events will be held:

• January 16, 2025
  10:30 a.m. CST
• February 13, 2025
  2:00 p.m. CST

Information on these webinars and links to add the webinar details to personal calendars are available on the HIP-WI Page on the RMA website.

Additionally, RMA has developed several informational resources for farmers:

The HIP-WI Endorsement provides coverage for a portion of the deductible, up to 95% of the expected crop value, of the underlying crop insurance policy when the county, or a county adjacent to it, is within the area of sustained hurricane-force winds from a named hurricane as published by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Tropical Storm Option (TS) provides coverage for named tropical storms, as reported by NOAA, with maximum sustained winds exceeding 34 knots and precipitation at least 5.99 inches over a four-day period. Both the wind trigger and precipitation trigger must occur for an indemnity to be paid. When an indemnity payment is triggered for a given county, adjacent counties are also paid.

HIP-WI and TS provide quick indemnity payments in the event of a hurricane to help farmers get back on their feet and begin the recovery process. Producers do not need to file a claim to receive an indemnity payment, and payments are typically paid a few weeks following the eligible hurricane or tropical storm. HIP-WI and TS payments are in addition to any applicable indemnity payments from underlying crop insurance policy.

The HIP-WI Endorsement, including the Tropical Storm Option, are available in select counties in Texas, as well as Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.

Upcoming sales closing dates are Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 15, April 15, May 1, and May 15. The sales closing date is generally the same as the sales closing date for a farmer's underlying policy so HIP-WI can be added and any changes can be made to the underlying policy at the same time. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator.