Federal Emergency Management Agency Designates Counties in Georgia as Natural Disaster Areas due to Hurricane Helene

1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250
FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

This Presidential disaster declaration 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.

1. Triggering Presidential Designation M4830:

Impacted Area: Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 24, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: May 30, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Georgia: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, McDuffie, Montgomery, Pierce, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Washington, and Wheeler.

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Georgia: Baldwin, Bleckley, Brantley, Bryan, Charlton, Dodge, Effingham, Elbert, Hancock, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Twiggs, Warren, Wayne, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and Worth
• Florida: Baker, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison
• South Carolina: Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, and McCormick

2. Triggering Presidential Designation M4828:

Impacted Area: Florida and Georgia

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 23, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: April 10, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor, and Wakulla

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Georgia: Brooks, Lowndes, and Thomas
• Florida: Alachua, Collier, DeSoto, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Leon, Liberty, Marion, Polk, Sumter, and Suwannee

3. Triggering Presidential Designation M4827:

Impacted Area: North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 25, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: May 28, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Eastern Cherokee, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Georgia: Rabun, Towns, and Union
• North Carolina: Cherokee, Graham, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Surry, Swain, and Yadkin
• South Carolina: Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and York
• Tennessee: Carter, Cocke, Greene, Johnson, Sevier, and Unicoi
• Virginia: Grayson

4. Triggering Presidential Designation M4829:

Impacted Area: South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina

Triggering Disaster: Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 25, 2024, and continuing

Application Deadline: May 29, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• South Carolina: Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, and Spartanburg

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Georgia: Burke, Elbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Rabun, Richmond, and Stephens
• North Carolina: Cleveland, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania
• South Carolina: Abbeville, Allendale, Calhoun, Colleton, Edgefield, Fairfield, Hampton, Laurens, McCormick, Orangeburg, Richland, Union, and York

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.

FEMA offers different assistance programs for individual citizens, public groups including government agencies and private nonprofit organizations.  To find the FEMA help you need following a disaster event, visit fema.gov/assistance.