USDA Designates Nebraska Counties as Primary Natural Disaster, Drought Areas

November 8, 2024

USDA Designates Nebraska Counties as Primary Natural Disaster, Drought Areas

By USDA FSA News Release

Drought by Nebraska county map

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.

Triggering Disaster

Drought

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.

Application Deadline: June 16, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

Nebraska: Gage, Jefferson, Morrill, Nuckolls, Thayer

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

Nebraska: Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Clay, Fillmore, Garden, Johnson, Lancaster, Otoe, Pawnee, Saline, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Webster

Kansas: Jewell, Marshall, Republic, Washington

Nebraska drought county map
Nebraska counties in severe or worse drought classification as of Oct. 31, 2024.

Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding that occurred from June 20-July 8, 2024

Application Deadline: May 27, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

Nebraska: Boyd, Clay, Dakota, Dawson, Douglas, Fillmore, Holt, Howard, Lincoln, McPherson, Nance, Nemaha, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Thomas, and Washington

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

  • Iowa: Harrison, Pottawattamie and Woodbury
  • Missouri: Atchison and Holt
  • Nebraska: Adams, Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cherry, Custer, Dixon, Dodge, Frontier, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Hayes, Hooker, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Keya Paha, Knox, Lancaster, Logan, Loup, Merrick, Morrill, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Phelps, Platte, Richardson, Rock, Saline, Sarpy, Seward, Sherman, Sioux, Thayer, Thurston, Webster, Wheeler and York
  • South Dakota: Charles Mix, Gregory and Union
  • Wyoming: Goshen

Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding that occurred May 20-June 3, 2024

Application Deadline: April 21, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

Nebraska: Burt, Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Fillmore, Hamilton, Hayes, Hitchcock, Howard, Keith, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Saunders and Washington

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

  • Nebraska: Adams, Arthur, Boone, Buffalo, Cass, Chase, Clay, Cuming, Deuel, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Greeley, Hall, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lincoln, McPherson, Madison, Merrick, Nance, Nuckolls, Perkins, Saline, Sarpy, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston and York
  • Colorado: Yuma
  • Iowa: Harrison, Monona and Pottawattamie
  • Kansas: Cheyenne, Decatur and Rawlins

Application Deadline: June 16, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible: Lincoln and Sarpy

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

    • Nebraska: Cass, Custer, Dawson, Douglas, Frontier, Hayes, Keith, Logan, McPherson, Perkins and Saunders.

    More Resources

    On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery ToolDisaster 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.

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