Chambana Sun

State Rep. Adam Niemerg shared information for Champaign and Edgar County farmers about claims for emergency loans following the recent tornadoes in a July 12 Facebook post. Four disaster declarations were issued by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack following the weather events.

"NOTICE: Farmers in Champaign and Edgar counties in our district have eight months from the date of the secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans," he said in the post.

Vilsack issued four disaster declarations relevant to Illinois residents, for drought or storm damage, according to a press release. Those declarations affected specific counties. Those declarations are as follows:

Designation No. 1: A tornado that occurred on March 31: Primary Counties: Bureau, Clark and Crawford. Contiguous Counties: Coles, Henry, Lawrence, Putnam, Stark, Cumberland, Jasper, Lee, Richland, Whiteside, Edgar, LaSalle and Marshall.

Designation No. 2: A tornado that occurred on April 4: Primary County: Fulton. Contiguous Counties: Knox, Mason, Schuyler, Warren, McDonough, Peoria and Tazewell.

Designation No. 3: Tornados and high winds that occurred on March 31 through April 5: Primary Counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Sangamon. Contiguous Counties: Bureau, Knox, Menard, Stark, Cass, Logan, Montgomery, Warren, Christian, Macon, Morgan, Whiteside, Henderson and Macoupin.

Designation No. 4: Drought Primary County: Randolph. Contiguous Counties: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, St. Clair and Washington.

“Our Illinois farmers are resilient, facing uncertain weather conditions year after year. I want to thank Gov. JB Pritzker for working with Secretary Vilsack and the USDA to ensure our farmers have the resources they need to come back after a natural disaster,” Jerry Costello II, Illinois Department of Agriculture director, said, KWQC reported.

Individuals who sustained damage in the counties labeled in the declarations are encouraged to contact their local USDA office to file a claim for loss due to the events in those declarations. A USDA Service Center locator is available for individuals to find their county office and begin the process.

There are two offices serving Champaign County, according to the service center locator. They are located at the following addresses: Champaign Service Center, 2110 W. Park Ct. Suite A, Champaign, Illinois. The Danville Service Center also serves Champaign County. The Danville Service Center is located at 1905A U.S. Route 150 in Danville.

Edgar County residents can go to the Paris Service Center, which is located at 11759 IL Highway 1 in Paris, Illinois, according to the service center locator. Residents can also contact the Sullivan Service Center, the Charleston Service Center and the Effingham Service Center.