The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has granted a primary agricultural disaster designation for 14 North Carolina counties for losses caused by Hurricane Dorian.
Hurricane Dorian, which struck North Carolina in Sept. 2019, caused sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation.
A Secretarial disaster designation allows eligible farm operators in the affected counties to be considered for assistance from FSA, including emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have 8-months from the date of the declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security repayment ability of the operator.
Local FSA offices can be found online and can provide farmers with further information.
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/North-Carolina/index
Counties covered under the Secretarial disaster designation include:
- 14 primary counties in North Carolina: Beaufort, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Dare, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Martin, Onslow, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell and Washington.
- 23 contiguous counties in North Carolina: Bertie, Bladen, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Duplin, Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Lenoir, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Scotland, Wake, Wayne and Wilson.
- Three contiguous counties in South Carolina: Dillon, Horry and Marlboro
More information on USDA Emergency Designations is available here:
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-room/emergency-designations/index