Forty-seven Ohio counties declared disaster areas due to weather onslaught

COLUMBUS – Ohio’s State Farm Service Agency Executive Director Larry Adams said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 47 counties in Ohio as primary disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by various disasters that occurred this year.
A whole list. Disasters afflicting the counties included excess rain, lightning, high winds, flooding, hail, excessive moisture and a tornado. The period began May 1 and appears to be continuing.
Also eligible are contiguous counties. These counties were designated Aug. 27, making all qualified farm operators eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. The agency has a variety of programs available, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
Counties designated primary disaster areas are Allen, Crawford, Fayette, Hocking, Lorain, Muskingum, Sandusky, Van Wert, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lucas, Noble, Scioto, Wayne, Athens, Defiance, Greene, Jackson, Mahoning, Ottawa, Seneca, Wood, Carroll, Delaware, Guernsey, Lake, Marion, Paulding, Summit, Wyandot, Columbiana, Erie, Hancock, Licking, Medina, Portage, Tuscarawas, Coshocton, Fairfield, Henry, Logan, Morgan, Perry and Union.
Designated contiguous counties were Adams, Coshocton, Geauga, Jackson, Mahoning, Muskingum, Scioto, Warren, Allen, Crawford, Guernsey, Jefferson, Marion, Noble, Seneca, Washington, Ashland, Cuyahoga, Hancock, Knob, Medina, Perry, Shelby, Wayne, Athens, Delaware, Hardin, Lake, Meigs, Pickaway, Stark, Williams, Auglaize, Defiance, Harrison, Lawrence, Mercer, Pike, Summit, Wood, Belmont, Fairfield, Highland, Licking, Monroe, Portage, Trumbull, Wyandot, Champaign, Franklin, Henry, Lorain, Montgomery, Putnam, Union, Clark, Fulton, Hocking, Lucas, Morgan, Richmond, Van Wert, Clinton, Gallia, Huron, Madison, Morrow, Ross and Vinton.
Information available. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. To contact your local USDA Service Center go to www.fsa.usda.gov/oh/.