SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Update Thursday, Aug. 24: The USDA secretary has added new counties to a previous drought disaster designation in Illinois.
The following counties are eligible for assistance:
Primary Counties: McDonough, McHenry, Mercer
Contiguous Counties: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Kane, Knox, Lake, Rock Island, Schuyler and Warren
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Numerous disaster declarations have been issued for counties in Illinois after severe storms in late March and early April, along with a storm from late June.
Four separate natural disaster designations have been issued for Illinois by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a press release.
The declarations come in response to the tornadoes and high winds seen from March 31 to April 5, along with the drought that has affected this year's growing season.
USDA Disaster Designations provide emergency loans to producers recovering from natural disasters. Farmers have eight months from the beginning of the declaration to apply for a loan.
The following counties have received designations. Both primary and contiguous counties are eligible for assistance.
Designation #1: For a tornado that occurred on March 31
Primary Counties: Bureau, Clark & Crawford
Contiguous Counties: Coles, Henry, Lawrence, Putnam, Stark, Cumberland, Jasper, Lee, Richland, Whiteside, Edgar, LaSalle & Marshall
Designation #2: For a tornado that occurred on April 4
Primary County: Fulton
Contiguous Counties: Knox, Mason, Schuyler, Warren, McDonough, Peoria & Tazewell
Designation #3: For tornadoes and high winds that occurred between March 31 and April 5
Primary Counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island & Sangamon
Contiguous Counties: Bureau, Knox, Menard, Stark, Cass, Logan, Montgomery, Warren, Christian, Macon, Morgan, Whiteside, Henderson & Macoupin
Designation #4: For drought
Primary County: Randolph
Contiguous Counties: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, St. Clair & Washington
Those eligible to apply for emergency loans can contact their local USDA Service Center with questions, or to file a Notice of Loss.
State proclamation
In addition, Gov. Pritzker issued a Disaster Proclamation for multiple counties that experienced severe weather from June 29 to July 4, according to a press release from the governor's office. The proclamation includes the derecho that impacted the greater Quad Cities area on June 29.
The proclamation from the governor gives "local entities increased access to state resources and emergency personnel who can assist in response and recovery efforts," according to the release.
The following counties are included in the governor's proclamation:
- Coles
- Cook
- Edgar
- Hancock
- McDonough
- Morgan
- Sangamon
- Washington
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