Agricultural Disasters Declared for 180 U.S. Counties

Extreme weather events, severe climatic episodes cause agricultural disasters across 14 states

Drought and Deluge, hail and high winds, severe storms and excessive rains have prompted USDA to designate 180 counties across 14 states as agricultural disaster areas.

Drought

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 39 counties in 5 states as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the recent drought.

• Texas: Cherokee, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt, Wood, Anderson, Gregg, Houston, Panola, Angelina, Harrison, Hunt, Rains, Camp, Henderson, Kaufman, Shelby, Franklin, Hopkins, Nacogdoches and Upshur counties.

• Colorado: Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Routt, Grand, Pitkin and Summit counties.

• Oregon: Curry, Coos, Douglas and Josephine counties.

• California: Del Norte County.

• Idaho: Jerome, Cassia, Gooding, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Aug. 28, 2013. The lists include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

Map of the U.S. Drought Disaster areas as of August 28, 2013. At least 1,336 counties, or 42.5% of all U.S. counties¹, were designated as agricultural disaster areas² due to the ongoing drought. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

1. [U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]
2. Agriculture officials declare disaster when crop damage has exceeded 30 percent.

UPDATED: September 6, 2013 – MAP CORRECTED!

Hail, high winds and severe storm

USDA has designated seven counties in two states as agricultural disaster area due to damage and losses caused by hail, high winds and severe storms that occurred August 1, 2013, and continues.

• Montana: Park, Carbon, Gallatin, Meagher, Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties.

• Wyoming: Park County.

Excessive Rain and Flooding

USDA has designated 68 counties across six states as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred March 1, 2013, and continues.

• Tennessee: Bradley, Hamilton, Macon, Rhea, Greene, Knox, Smith, Unicoi, Cocke, Hardin, Marion, Sequatchie, Washington, Anderson, Clay, Hawkins, Decatur, Jefferson, Polk, Sevier, Monroe, Benton, Cumberland, Henderson, Putnam, Blount, Franklin, Loudon, Sumner, Chester, Hamblen, Meigs, Roane, Carroll, Grainger, McMinn, Trousdale, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Sullivan, Carter, Grundy, McNairy, Wayne, Wilson, Perry, Bledsoe, De Kalb and Jackson counties.

• Alabama: Jackson and Lauderdale counties.

• Georgia: Catoosa, Fannin, Walker, Dade, Murray and Whitfield counties.

• Kentucky: Allen and Monroe counties.

• Mississippi: Alcorn and Tishomingo counties.

• North Carolina: Cherokee,  Madison,  Swain, Haywood, Mitchell and Yancey counties.

Agricultural Disaster Declared in ALL 46 South Carolina Counties due to Excessive Rain and Flooding

USDA has designated the entire state of South Carolina and 20 other counties across Georgia and North Carolina as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred March 1, 2013, and continues.

• South Carolina: ALL 46 counties. Aiken, Chesterfield, Greenville, Orangeburg, Berkeley, Dorchester, Lee, Sumter, Allendale, Clarendon, Hampton, Pickens, Calhoun, Edgefield, Marion, Union, Bamberg, Colleton, Horry, Richland, Charleston, Florence, Marlboro, Williamsburg, Barnwell, Darlington, Jasper, Saluda, Cherokee, Georgetown, Newberry, York, Beaufort, Dillon, Laurens, Spartanburg, Anderson, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Abbeville, Chester, Greenwood, Lancaster, Oconee and McCormick counties.

• Georgia: Burke, Columbia, Richmond, Chatham, Effingham and Screven counties.

• North Carolina: Anson, Columbus, Mecklenburg, Robeson, Cleveland, Henderson, Richmond, Scotland, Brunswick, Gaston, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Union counties.

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Expands  August 22, 2013
• U.S. Drought Map – August 13, 2013
• Drought Disaster Declared in 37 Counties Across 5 States August 15, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for Dozens of U.S. Counties August 8, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]
• Agricultural Disasters Index