Tornado and drought damaged areas in Illinois will receive disaster funds

Overturned tree filled with debris after tornado moved through Crawford County in April 2023.

URBANA – Illinois farmers affected by severe weather this spring will be able to apply for emergency loans.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued four disaster declarations for the state of Illinois. The designations were for the following dates, storms, and primary counties affected:

March 31, 2023 Tornado Bureau, Clark & Crawford Counties
April 4, 2023 Tornado Fulton
March 31-April 5, 2023 Tornadoes and High Winds Henry, Mercer, Rock Island & Sangamon
Planting Season Drought Randolph
 
The natural disaster designation means farmers have eight months to apply for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans. Those eligible should contact their local USDA Service Center to ask questions or file a Notice of Loss.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM