USDA Designates 5 North Carolina Counties as Primary Disaster Areas Due to July Droughts

The following Secretarial Disaster Designations 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.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these county suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Secretarial Disaster Designation

Impacted Area: North Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Drought occurring July 9, 2024, and continuing.

Application Deadline: March 24, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible: Forsyth, Robeson, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• North Carolina: Alleghany, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Hoke, Iredell, Rockingham, Scotland, and Wilkes
• South Carolina: Dillon, Horry, and Marlboro
• Virginia: Carroll, Grayson, Henry, and Patrick

Secretarial Disaster Designation

Impacted Area: South Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Drought occurring July 9, 2024, and continuing.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible: Dillon

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• North Carolina: Columbus and Robeson
• South Carolina: Florence, Horry, Marion, and Marlboro

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.