CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The U.S. government has designated 82 counties in North Carolina as “natural disaster areas” due to severe drought conditions across the state.
Gov. Josh Stein said in an April 16 social media post that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made the designation.
The governor said farmers in the 82 counties may be eligible for emergency loan assistance and other disaster relief programs. A tool that helps farmers find out which options they may be eligible for can be accessed here.
It was not immediately clear which 82 North Carolina counties were declared disaster areas, but the latest U.S. drought monitor update showed the entire state was in some level of drought, with 95% of it in severe, extreme or exceptional drought.
The same tool showed that 97.3% of the entire southeast was in some level of drought.
According to a USDA document, USDA disaster designations have to be requested by a state’s governor or an authorized representative for the governor.
Natural disasters eligible for assistance are those which the USDA described as “disasters in which damaging weather conditions or other adverse natural occurrence phenomena have substantially affected farmers causing severe production losses.”
FILE PHOTO — Most N.C. counties have been declared “natural disaster areas” due to the ongoing drought.(WECT)
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