Richmond Hill Farm Suffers Catastrophic Flooding
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022
Billy’s Botanicals, a small-scale aquaponics operation and farm serving Savannah and the surrounding areas, has taken on catastrophic flooding due to unprecedented rainfall in southeast Georgia over the last few weeks.
Heavy showers left numerous properties in Bryan County flooded, including Ana and Billy Dugger’s farm. As the rain cleared, neighbors began pumping water, and the Dugger’s lower-lying land took on even more flooding. “We’re trying to pump [the water] out as fast as we can, but the greenhouse is only a big storm away from … getting contaminated,” Mr. Dugger said.
Bryan County officials and professional land and water management contractors have been contacted with the hope of preventing similar flooding in the future. As with many small businesses, the Dugger’s profits are razor thin, leaving little room to account for calamity. They will not only lose several crops crucial to maintaining the tight margins of running a farm, but are also looking at costly repairs. A fundraiser has been started on their behalf by Katrina Hornung, on the website gofundme.com. (https://www.gofundme.com/f/aid-billys-bog-burden?member=22014313&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer)
