Federal Emergency Management Agency Designates Eight Counties in Tennessee as Natural Disaster Areas due to Hurricane Helene with Assistance Available for Five Contiguous[...]

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.

Triggering Presidential DesignationM4832:

Impacted Area: Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 26, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: June 2, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Tennessee: Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, Washington

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Tennessee: Grainger, Hancock, Jefferson, Sevier, Sullivan
• North Carolina: Ashe, Avery, Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga, Yancey
• Virginia: Grayson, Scott, Washington

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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