Athens, Ga., Feb. 7, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Georgia, Reggie A. Taylor today announced that USDA is deploying key resources to help people in their long-term recovery and rebuilding after severe storms and tornadoes hit Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Spalding, and Troup Counties in Georgia on January 12, 2023.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on January 16, 2023, issued a Presidential Disaster Declaration DR-4685 for Georgia regarding severe storms, straight line winds and tornados that hit the area on January 12, 2023.
USDA Rural Development 502 Direct Loan Program housing customers in affected counties may be impacted. The agency wants to ensure that its customers are aware of assistance that may be able to be provided in the event these severe weather conditions have impacted their property or income. If you are a homeowner through the USDA Rural Development 502 Direct Program and the disaster has damaged your property, please contact the USDA Servicing Center at 1-800-414-1226 to obtain a claims package. This claims package will explain how to work with your insurance agency and USDA.
As USDA continues to respond to the impacts of these weather events, the Department remains committed to delivering environmental justice to the people living in rural America now more than ever. Through its key rural infrastructure and economic development programs, USDA is helping to address disproportionate health, environmental and economic impacts on disadvantaged communities in the face of disaster.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. ###