USDA Designates 77 Tennessee Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

This Secretarial natural disaster designation 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 counties 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. 

Impacted Area: Tennessee

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: Anderson, Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Clay, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grainger, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry,  Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, McMinn, McNairy, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Maury, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Shelby, Smith, Tipton, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, Weakley, White, Williamson, Wilson 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Jacksonville, Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison

Arkansas: Crittenden, Mississippi

Georgia: Catoosa, Dade, Fannin, Murray, Walker, Whitfield

Kentucky: Bell, Calloway, Clinton, Cumberland, Graves, Hickman, McCreary, Monroe, Wayne, Whitley

Mississippi: Alcorn, Benton, DeSoto, Marshall, Tippah, Tishomingo

North Carolina: Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Swain

Virginia: Lee

Tennessee: Cocke, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Lake, Macon, Montgomery, Obion, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale 

Impacted Area: Alabama

Triggering Disaster 2: Drought (Fast Track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clay, Cleburn, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Morgan, Pickens, St. Clair, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Winston 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Autauga, Baldwin, Clarke, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Perry, Randolph, Tallapoosa, Wilcox

Georgia: Carroll, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Haralson, Polk, Walker

Mississippi: Clarke, George, Greene, Itawamba, Jackson, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lawndes, Monroe, Noxubee, Tishomingo, Wayne

Tennessee: Franklin, Giles, Hardin, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Wayne 

Impacted Area: Alabama

Triggering Disaster 2: Drought (Fast Track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland, Crittenden, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Monroe, Phillips, Prairie, St. Francie, Union 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Arkansas: Clark, Columbia, Cross, Faulkner, Hot Spring, Mississippi, Ouachita, Poinsett, Pulaski, Saline, White, Woodruff

Louisiana: Claiborne, East Carroll, Morehouse, Union, West Carroll

Mississippi: Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Issaquena, Tunica, Washington

Tennessee: Shelby, Tipton 

Impacted Area: Georgia

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: Bartow, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, White, Whitfield 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Alabama: Cherokee, DeKalb

Georgia: Bank, Catoosa, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall, Paulding, Polk, Stephens, Walker

North Carolina: Cherokee

South Carolina: Oconee

Tennessee: Bradley, Hamilton, Polk 

Impacted Area: Mississippi

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Homes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lincoln, Lownes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wilkinson, Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo

Alabama: Choctaw, Colbert, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Marion, Mobile, Pickens, Sumter, Washington

Arkansas: Chicot, Crittenden, Desha, Lee, Phillips

Louisiana: Concordia, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Madison, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Washington, West Feliciana

Tennessee: Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, McNairy, Shelby 

Impacted Area: North Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-track) 

Application Deadline: 11/25/2024 

Primary Counties Eligible: Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Macon, Swain 

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Georgia: Fannin, Rabun, Towns, Union

North Carolina: Burke, Catawba, Graham, Haywood, Iredell, Jackson, Mecklenburg, Rutherford

South Carolina: Cherokee, Oconee, York

Tennessee: Blount, Monroe, Polk, Sevier 

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.