Crop Disaster Declared in Five States

High Winds, Hail, Excessive Rain and Flooding prompt USDA to declare crop disaster for44 counties in five states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 44 counties across five states as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by a combination of excessive rain, related flooding, high winds and hail in three separate declarations.

Designation # 1: Ten Counties in New Jersey have been declared  Crop Disaster Areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, related flooding, high winds and hail that occurred May 1 – September 24, 2013.

Those counties are Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean and  Salem.

Designation # 2: USDA has designated 20 counties in Michigan as Agricultural Disaster Areas due losses caused by hail that occurred June 10 – August 2, 2013

Those areas are Bay, Calhoun, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Huron, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Midland, Monroe, Oakland, Saginaw,  Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, Washtenaw, and  Wayne counties.

Designation # 3: USDA has designated fourteen counties in three states–Florida, Georgia and Alabama– as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain that occurred May 1 – September 25, 2013.

• Florida: Escambia, Madison, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Dixie, Jefferson, Okaloosa, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties.
• Georgia: Brooks and Lowndes counties.
• Alabama: Baldwin and Escambia counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Nov. 13, 2013.

“Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that Congress has not funded the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. These are SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage,” said USDA.

Recent Crop Disaster Designations

• Crop Disasters
• Crop Disaster Declared in Maine and Montana November 1, 2013

Agricultural Disaster Declared for 204 Counties

204 Counties across 10 states declared agricultural disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 204 counties across 10 states—Georgia, Alabama, Florida, The Carolinas,  Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding in two separate declarations.

First Disaster Declaration

USDA has designated 148 counties across six states—Georgia, Alabama, Florida, The Carolinas and Tennessee—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain that began April 1, 2013, and continuing.

List of Disaster Areas – Excessive Rain

• Georgia: Appling, Clinch, Grady, Macon, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Union, Atkinson, Coffee, Greene, Madison, Walton, Ware, Washington, Wayne, Bacon, Colquitt, Gwinnett, Miller, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, Baker, Cook, Hancock, Mitchell, Bibb, Dooly, Henry, Monroe, Baldwin, Crawford, Hart, Montgomery, Bulloch, Dougherty, Houston, Murray, Banks, Crisp, Irwin, Morgan, Butts, Early, Lee, Pickens, Barrow, Decatur, Jackson, Newton, Calhoun, Evans, Liberty, Pulaski, Ben Hill, De Kalb, Jasper, Oconee, Camden, Forsyth, Lincoln, Rabun, Berrien, Echols, Jeff Davis, Oglethorpe, Candler, Fulton, Long, Richmond, Bleckley, Effingham, Jefferson, Peach, Charlton, Glynn, Lumpkin, Schley, Brantley, Elbert, Jenkins, Pierce, Clayton, Gordon, McDuffie, Stephens, Brooks, Emanuel, Johnson, Putnam, Dawson, Habersham, McIntosh, Sumter, Bryan, Fannin, Jones, Rockdale, Dodge, Hall, Marion, Burke, Franklin, Lanier, Screven, Talbot, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Toombs, Chatham, Gilmer, Laurens, Seminole, Upson, Warren, White, Wilkes, Clarke, Glascock, Lowndes, Taylor, Worth, Telfair, Thomas, Tift and Towns counties.

• Alabama: Houston County.

• Florida: Baker, Gadsden, Jackson, Leon, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison counties.
  

• North Carolina: Cherokee and Clay counties.
  

• South Carolina: Abbeville, Anderson, Jasper, Aiken, Barnwell, McCormick, Allendale, Hampton and Oconee counties.

• Tennessee: Polk County.

Second disaster Declaration

USDA has designated 56 counties across five states—Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rainfall and flooding that occurred July 15 – August 19, 2013.

List of Disaster Areas – Excessive Rainfall and Flooding

• Missouri: Butler, Gasconade, New Madrid, Stoddard, Camden, Laclede, Osage, Texas, Cole, Maries, Pemiscot, Vernon, Dunklin, Miller, Pulaski, Webster, Barton, Cape Girardeau, Dent, Mississippi, St. Clair, Bates, Carter, Douglas, Moniteau, Scott, Benton, Cedar, Franklin, Montgomery, Shannon, Bollinger, Christian, Greene, Morgan, Warren, Boone, Crawford, Hickory, Phelps Callaway, Dallas, Howell, Ripley, Wright and Wayne counties.

• Arkansas: Clay, Craighead, Greene and Mississippi counties.

• Kansas: Bourbon, Crawford and Linn counties.

• Kentucky: Fulton County.

• Tennessee: Dyer and Lake counties.

All counties listed above were designated as agricultural disaster areas on September 25, 2013.

“Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that Congress has not funded the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. These are SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage,” said USDA.

Notes:
1. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas.
2. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.
3. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

Related Links

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States September 20, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States

Drought and Deluge Prompt Disaster Declarations in Multiple Regions across U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 194 counties in 13 states across 5 regions as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused either by drought, or by one or more of hail, severe freezing, excessive snow, excessive rain and flooding.

• As of September 18, 2013, at least 1,345 counties and parishes, or 42.8% of all U.S. counties and county equivalents, were designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.
  
• Since September 11, 2013 a total of 332 counties have been designated as Agricultural Disaster Areas.

[Notes: 1. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas. 2. The USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is a 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop. 3. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]

Drought Disaster

USDA has designated a total of eight counties in Idaho and Montana as Agricultural Disaster Areas.

• Idaho: Clearwater, Lewis, Idaho, Latah, Nez Perce and Shoshone counties.
• Montana: Mineral and Missoula counties.

Excessive Rain and Flooding Disasters Beginning January 1, 2013

USDA has designated 102 counties in five states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee—as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that began January 1, 2013, and continues.

• Alabama (64 Counties):  Autauga, Cleburne, Geneva, Macon, Baldwin, Coosa, Greene, Madison, Barbour, Covington, Hale, Marengo, Blount, Crenshaw, Henry, Mobile, Bullock, Cullman, Houston, Monroe, Calhoun, Dale, Jackson, Montgomery, Cherokee, Dallas, Jefferson, Morgan, Chilton, Elmore, Lamar, Perry, Choctaw, Etowah, Lauderdale, Pickens, Clarke, Fayette, Lowndes, Pike, Russell, St. Clair, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Bibb, Coffee, Escambia, Marion, Butler, Colbert, Lawrence, Marshall, Chambers, Conecuh, Lee, Randolph, Clay, De Kalb, Limestone and Winston counties.

• Florida (5 Counties):  Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa and Walton.

• Georgia (13 Counties): Carroll, Clay, Floyd, Polk, Chattahoochee, Dade, Haralson, Quitman, Chattooga, Early , Muscogee, Seminole and Stewart.

• Mississippi (11 Counties): Clarke, Jackson, Lowndes, Tishomingo, George, Kemper, Monroe, Wayne, Greene, Lauderdale and Noxubee.

• Tennessee (7 Counties): Franklin, Hardin, Lincoln, Wayne, Giles, Lawrence and Marion counties.
  

Excessive Rain and Flooding Disasters Beginning May 1, 2013

USDA has designated 54 counties in three states—The Carolinas and Tennessee—as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that began May 1, 2013, and continues.

• North Carolina (41 Counties): Avery, Cleveland, Henderson, Rutherford, Brunswick, Columbus, Madison, Transylvania, Buncombe, Durham, Orange, Watauga, Wilson, Alamance, Chatham, Jackson, New Hanover, Ashe, Edgecombe, Johnston, Pender, Bladen, Gaston, Lincoln, Burke, Granville, McDowell, Pitt, Caldwell, Greene, Mitchell, Polk, Caswell, Haywood, Nash, Person, Robeson, Wake, Wayne, Wilkes and Yancey counties.

• South Carolina (8 Counties): Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Spartanburg, Dillon, Horry, Pickens and York counties.

• Tennessee (5 Counties): Carter, Cocke, Greene, Johnson and Unicoi.

Disasters caused by combined effects of severe freezing and excessive snow followed by excessive rainfall and flooding that occurred January 1 – August 2, 2013

USDA has designated 22 counties in Minnesota and Iowa as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to the combined effects of severe freezing and excessive snow followed by excessive rainfall and flooding that occurred January 1 – August 2, 2013.

• Minnesota (18 Counties): Dodge, Koochiching, Mower, Steele, Freeborn, Lake of the Woods, Olmsted, Beltrami, Goodhue, Roseau, Waseca, Faribault, Itasca, St. Louis, Winona, Fillmore, Rice and Wabasha counties.
  

• Iowa (4 Counties): Howard, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth.

Hail Disaster on August 6, 2013

USDA has designated 8 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to damages and losses caused by hail that occurred August 6, 2013.

• Minnesota: Dakota, Goodhue, Ramsey, Scott, Hennepi, Rice and Washington counties.
  

• Wisconsin: Pierce County.

Related Links

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Drought Disaster Declared in 32 Additional Texas Counties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 32 counties in Texas as drought disaster areas, due to damages and losses caused by the ongoing drought.

U.S. Drought Disaster Map. This USDA/FSA map shows 1,044 counties designated as drought disaster areas across 25 states, as of April 3, 2013.

The designation include both primary and contiguous disaster areas. The counties are:

• (PDA) Brazos, Frio, Harris, Wharton, Colorado, Grimes and Montgomery.
• (CDA) Atascosa, Dimmit, La Salle, Madison, Uvalde, Austin, Fayette, Lavaca, Matagorda, Walker, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Leon, Medina, Waller, Burleson, Galveston, Liberty, Robertson, Washington, Chambers, Jackson, McMullen, San Jacinto and Zavala.

As of April 2, 2013, more than 2/3 of Contiguous U.S. remained abnormally dry or worse.

• About 52 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate drought or worse, as of April 2, 2013.
• The map shows 35.30 percent in severe drought or worse; 17.13 percent in extreme drought or worse; and 5.20 percent in exceptional drought, compared with 5.10 percent the preceding week.

Other Disaster Declarations

Florida. USDA has also designated 19 counties in Florida as agricultural disaster areas in three separate designations due to various disasters.

• Designation #1 is for (PDA) Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties, and (CDA), Alachua, Clay, Duval, Marion and Volusia counties  due to freezes and frosts that occurred Feb. 17 – March 4, 2013.
• Designation #2 is for (PDA) Holmes and Washington counties, and (CDA), Bay, Jackson and Walton counties due to frosts, excessive rain, flooding, flash flooding and high winds that occurred Feb. 4 – March 4, 2013.
  
• Designation #3 is for (PDA) Palm Beach County, and (CDA), Broward, Glades, Hendry, Martin and Okeechobee counties due to freezes, frosts and high winds that occurred March 3-4, 2013.
  

FIRE-EARTH Drought Links 2013

• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

Mad Cow Disease Reemerges in California

California dairy cow had mad cow disease

Health officials have confirmed that a dairy cow in California’s Central Valley had bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as the mad cow disease, but insist that the US beef and dairy products are safe.

• BSE is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that can be easily passed on to humans; it has an incubation period of up to 8 year in cattle and about 12 years in humans.
• The disease is easily transmitted to humans by eating food contaminated with the brain, spinal cord or digestive tract of infected carcasses.
• An outbreak of BSE in the United Kingdom killed at least 166 people (an additional 50 known fatalities occurred in other countries) and about 180,000 cattle in the 1980s, and forced the authorities to destroy about 4.5 million cows at cost of more than $7 billion.
• BSE prion is not destroyed through cooking and can be transmitted to humans who consume contaminated beef products.
• An estimated half a million cattle infected with BSE entered the human food chain in the 1980s.
• A second strain of BSE prion, discovered in 2004, may have also entered the food chain.
• The diseased animal was he first confirmed case of mad cow disease in the U.S. in 6 years.
• The first known case of BSE infection in North America was reported in Alberta, Canada in 1993.
• South Korea has suspended sales of U.S. beef on Wednesday.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Pennsylvania, USA.  Pennsylvania Governor has declared a statewide disaster emergency following the chaos caused by the late spring storm. Parts of western and northern Pennsylvania were paralyzed by heavy snowfall, and the rest of the State experienced heavy rain.

• Florida, USA.  A total of  12 counties in Florida have been designated by USDA as Natural Disaster Areas due to damage and losses caused by frost and freezing temperatures that occurred January 3-16, 2012.
  • Primary natural disaster areas in Florida: Hendry, Nassau and Palm Beach counties.
  • Contiguous disaster areas: Baker, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Duval, Glades, Lee, Martin and Okeechobee counties.
• Georgia. Charlton and Camden counties in Georgia were also declared  natural disaster areas because they’re contiguous.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Thailand Drought Deepens

At least 63 districts in 11 Thai provinces have been declared drought zones

Following last year’s epic deluge in northern Thailand, the region is now struck by another disaster: Drought.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 9

[February 9, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,497 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Thailand.  Another textbook case of large scale drought and deluge has unfolded in Thailand.  At least 63 districts in 11 Thai provinces have been declared drought disaster zones.
  • The drought stricken provinces are Kampaeng Phet, Lamphun, Sukhothai, Phayao, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, Loei, Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Suphanburi and Petchaburi,  the country’s director general of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said.
  • Additionally, the northern province of Chiang Rai is experiencing major drought, a report said. “The main rivers have run dry and more than 70,000 rais (28,000 acres) of farmland lacks water due to the absence of rainfall for the past three months.”
  • The provincial government has declared 6 districts as disaster areas. About 100,000 people have been affected in the province.

Other Global Disasters

• Italy.  State of emergency persists due to shortage of gas supplies, a report said.

• Bulgaria. “States of emergency had been declared in the municipality of Kostinbrod in the Sofia district and in parts of Velingrad municipality,”  as Bulgaria’s severe winter weather crisis deepens.
  • Bulgaria has requested European Union for assistance.

• Greece.  The authorities have declared a state of emergency for the Evros region in northern Greece after a swollen river burst its banks, flooding the border village of Ormenio and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, reports said.
  • Evros River flooded after the dam on the Ivanovo Reservoir collapsed sending a 3-meter (9 ft) surge of water to the nearby village of Bisser near the Greek border and down the Arda river in Greece.
  • At least 4 people have been killed in weather related  incidents caused by strong winds, torrential rains, severe flooding and landslides which have caused substantial damage to crops, property and infrastructure in many parts of Greece.

• Nevada, USA.   The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 5 counties in Nevada as  natural disaster areas due to severe losses caused by wildfires that occurred from Sept. 30, 2011, through Oct. 5, 2011.
  • The disaster areas are Eureka (PDA), Elko, Lander, Nye and White Pine counties.

• Virginia, USA.USDA has designated 7 counties in Virginia as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and continuing excessive rainfall that occurred from Jan. 27, 2011, through Oct. 31, 2011.
  • The disaster areas are Surry County (PDA), Charles City, Isle Of Wight, James City, Prince George, Southampton and Sussex counties and in the independent city of Newport News.

• North Carolina, USA. USDA has designated 60  counties in North Carolina as Agricultural Disaster Areas due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred from Jan. 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2011.

The following counties and independent cities in South Carolina and Virginia were also declared disaster areas because they’re contiguous.

• South Carolina: Dillon and Horry

• Virginia:  Brunswick, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania and Southampton

• Independent Cities: Danville and Suffolk

• New York, USA.USDA has designated 6 counties in New York as agricultural disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, flash flooding and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee that occurred from Sept. 5-10, 2011.
  • The disaster areas are:  Chenango (PDA) Broome, Cortland, Delaware, Madison and Otsego  counties.

• Florida, USA.USDA has designated 22 counties in Florida as agricultural disaster areas due to two separate disaster conditions.
  • Indian River and St. Lucie Brevard counties (PDA), as well as Martin, Okeechobee and Osceola counties in Florida were designated as disaster areas due to losses caused by excessive rain, flooding and high winds that occurred from Oct. 7-9, 2011.
  • Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties in Florida were designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by freeze and frost that occurred from Nov. 11-12, 2011.  Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Lafayette, Marion, Lafayette, Suwannee, Putnam and Taylor counties were also declared disaster areas because they are contiguous.

• Oregon, USA.  Oregon Gov. has added 14 more counties to an executive order declaring a state of emergencydue to January’s severe weather including heavy snow, freezing rain and record flooding in Mid-Willamette Valley.
  • A total of 18 counties could potentially be declared federal disaster areas. The counties are Marion, Benton, Coos, and Lincoln (initialdeclaration), Polk, Yamhill, Lane, Linn, Tillamook, Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, Clatsop, Curry, Douglas, Harney, and Hood River counties.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar