Georgia counties natural disaster emergency loans for droughts [Video]

ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday morning that 17 counties in Georgia have been designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas that will be eligible for drought-related emergency loans.

The move by the federal government allows the Farm Service Agency “to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters,” a USDA release said.

The 17 primary counties are Bartow, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Filmer, Gordon, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, White and Whitfield.

The release says those counties “suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season” of varying degrees of severity for eight or more consecutive weeks. 

Several neighboring counties are also eligible for assistance. Those include: Banks, Catoosa, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, Hall, Paulding, Polk, Stephens, Walker, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Lincoln, Dade, Carroll and Haralson.

The agency added the additional details about emergency loans:

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