Federal Emergency Management Agency Designates 6 Tennessee Counties as Secondary Natural Disaster Areas Due to Hurricane Helene

This Presidential disaster declaration allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

Impacted Area: North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene (September 25, 2024)

Application Deadline: October 31, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

State: North Carolina

Counties: Eastern Cherokee, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

State: Georgia

Counties: Rabun, Towns, Union

State: North Carolina

Counties: Cherokee, Graham, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Surry, Swain, Yadkin

State: South Carolina

Counties: Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, York

State: Tennessee

Counties: Carter, Cocke, Greene, Johnson, Sevier, Unicoi

State: Virginia

Counties: Grayson

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.

FEMA offers different assistance programs for individual citizens, public groups including government agencies and private nonprofit organizations. To find the FEMA help you need following a disaster event, visit fema.gov/assistance.

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