NC Senator Hagan Comments on Disaster Designation

United States Senator Kay R. Hagan (NC) said, “I am pleased that North Carolina farmers and ranchers impacted by the tornadoes and Hurricane Irene will finally get the assistance they deserve.”  Those comments came Tuesday after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s decision to issue natural disaster designations for 35 North Carolina counties that suffered damages from tornadoes and Hurricane Irene in 2011.  The USDA deferred making a disaster designation until further information was available on total damages and production losses from the tornadoes and hurricane. Today, Secretary Vilsack designated 35 North Carolina counties as natural disaster areas in two separate disaster designations:  Disaster #1: Tornadoes, which occurred on April 16, 2011 and Disaster #2: Hurricane Irene, which occurred from August 26 through August 30, 2011.  Producers in both primary and contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans (EM) and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE).  Hagan led the North Carolina Congressional delegation in helping to secure a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the state following Hurricane Irene. Disaster relief funds are awarded to a state after the President or the Governor issues a formal disaster declaration and the state files a request for Disaster Designation.