Disaster Declaration for Louisiana Parishes

The Secretary of Agriculture has declared six parishes in Louisiana as disaster areas in the wake of the severe storms and massive flooding back in August.

The six are:  Catahoula, DeSoto, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Red River and Winn.

USDA also reports there was “sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation” so all six parishes were named as “primary natural disaster areas.”

13 parishes were named as “contiguous disaster parishes:” Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Concordia, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Rapides, Sabine, Tensas and Vernon.

And two Texas counties were also designated as contiguous disaster areas:  Panola and Shelby.

According to the Farm Service Agency, a Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary parishes  and those areas contiguous to such primary parishes “eligible to be considered for certain assistance from FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. “ This assistance includes FSA emergency loans.

Farmers in eligible areas have eight months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operation.

For more information, contact your local FSA office.