for Hurricane Ravaged Growers in Florida and Louisiana, While Hurricane Iniki May Have Created Work for Landscape Architects

According to unconfirmed reports only one major landscape nursery was impaired by Hurricane Iniki. That of Leland Nesick on the island of Kauai. LASN attempted to contact Nesick several times but there was no answer on the phone.

Six thousand miles to the east the damage from Hurricane Andrew, according to the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN), was in excess of $145 million to nursery crops and cost up to 20,000 nursery oriented jobs. Until the AAN stepped in, most nursery growers were ineligible for virtually all of the available federal disaster relief programs.

As a result of AAN's legislative action, there are now three applicable disaster relief programs, administered under the U.S. Department of Agriculture: The programs are: Commodity Credit Corporation Crop Loss Program (also known as the ASCS Disaster Program); ASCS Tree Assistance Program; and the Farmers Home Administration (FMHA) Rural Development Insurance Program.

One positive effect the hurricanes may have had is to create opportunities for landscape architects. According to Hawaii ASLA President Christopher J. Brown, of Belt Collins, many site owners are having to either renovate or completely rebuild and are requesting consultations and plans. Brown is also developing a list of weather resistant plant material which should benefit both the client and the public welfare.