Federal Emergency Management Agency Designates Cherokee County, North Carolina, as Contiguous Natural Disaster Area Due to Disaster Events that Occurred May 8

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: Tennessee

Triggering Disaster: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding during May 8, 2024, through May 9, 2024.

Application Deadline: February 17, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible: Cannon, Cheatham, Giles, Hamilton, Jackson, Macon, Montgomery, Polk, Smith, Sumner, Warren

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Lauderdale, Limestone

• Georgia: Catoosa, Dade, Fannin, Murray, Walker, Whitfield
• Kentucky: Allen, Christian, Monroe, Simpson, Todd
• North Carolina: Cherokee
• Tennessee: Bledsoe, Bradley, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Marshall, Meigs, Monroe, Overton, Putnam, Rhea, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Stewart, Trousdale, Van Buren, White, Williamson, Wilson

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.