3-6-2003 |
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STATE REQUESTS AGRICULTURE AID FOR 27 COUNTIES Governor Bob Wise and Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass have formally requested U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman to declare 27 West Virginia counties agricultural disaster areas as a result of a winter storm that dumped huge amounts of snow and ice on areas of the state. “I am asking Secretary Veneman to declare an agricultural disaster in these counties to help our farmers deal with the damage caused by this storm,” Wise said. “Many areas of the state suffered extensive damage because of record snowfalls and ice storms, followed by rain and flooding. We must do everything possible to assist those affected by this event.” “The extreme weather we have experienced has caused a great deal of damage for many of the Mountain State’s farmers,” said Commissioner Douglass. “Ice and snow caused the collapse of 17 poultry houses, along with numerous barns and other structures. Timber stands have been devastated, fences were washed away by flooding, and damage reports continue to come in.” Information on the extent of the damage was collected by county agricultural emergency boards and passed on to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, which made a formal designation request of Governor Wise. A disaster designation by Secretary Veneman will make farmers in these counties eligible for a variety of disaster assistance programs offered by USDA. Counties included in the request are: Braxton, Boone, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Hampshire, Hardy, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Lewis, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pleasants, Putnam, Ritchie, Roane, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wirt and Wood.
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