Farm Service Agency - Florida State Office

10/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/03/2024 09:51

Federal Emergency Management Agency Designates Counties in Florida as Natural Disaster Areas due to Hurricane Helene

1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250
[email protected]

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.

  1. Triggering Presidential Designation M4828:

Impacted Area: Florida and Georgia

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 23, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: April 10, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

  • Florida: Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor, and Wakulla

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

  • Florida: Alachua, Collier, DeSoto, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Leon, Liberty, Marion, Polk, Sumter, and Suwannee
  • Georgia: Brooks, Lowndes, and Thomas
  1. Triggering Presidential Designation M4830:

Impacted Area: Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 24, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: May 30, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

  • Georgia: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, McDuffie, Montgomery, Pierce, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Washington, and Wheeler.

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

  • Florida: Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison
  • Georgia: Baldwin, Bleckley, Brantley, Bryan, Charlton, Dodge, Effingham, Elbert, Hancock, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Twiggs, Warren, Wayne, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth
  • South Carolina:Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, and McCormick

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.