NC Farmers, Ranch Hands May Be Eligible for FEMA Assistance

North Carolina -- December 12, 2024: FEMA Press Release:Release: North Carolina farmers and ranch hands whose tools

or equipment were damaged by Tropical Storm Helene

may be eligible for disaster assistance. FEMA aid is available to replace disaster-damaged essential tools, supplies, equipment and items required for your job or self-employment. The deadline to apply is Jan. 7.

Coverage For Tools and Equipment

Family-owned farms typically have a variety of equipment needed to conduct business. These include tractors, plows, seeders or planters, harvesters, sprayers, hay balers and utility vehicles. These items are all potentially eligible for FEMA disaster assistance if you can show the following:

Items were damaged by the disaster.
You do not have another working item that can meet this need.
The loss of the item was not covered by insurance.
Crops and livestock are not “tools and equipment” because they are the products of a farming operation, whereas tools and equipment are the means of production.
Ranch hands may be eligible for assistance to replace disaster-damaged tools and equipment not covered by insurance when you can show these items are required by your employer.

Disaster-damaged tools, supplies, equipment and items required by an employer as a condition of employment or required for education may be eligible for assistance. This includes personal property required for a specific trade or profession that is not provided or supplied by an employer.

Additional assistance to help meet these needs may also be available from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The application deadline is Jan. 7, 2025. 

There are several ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or use the FEMA App for mobile devices. You can also call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, or click on this link to locate a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) close to you DRC Locator. You can visit any DRC. They are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. 

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