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Natural disaster is a constant threat to America's farmers and ranchers and rural residents. USDA provides assistance for losses that result from drought, flood, fire, freeze, tornadoes, pest infestation, and other calamities.
Natural Disaster Assistance Programs and Resources
USDA provides emergency food assistance to states that are in crisis. USDA purchases, processes, and packages the food, then ships it to the individual states.
Disasters can jeopardize the safety of food due to unfavorable conditions. USDA provides information on how to determine if food is safe and how to keep it safe in cases of emergency. This helps to minimize the risk of foodborne illness in emergency situations.
USDA helps provide the U.S. agricultural commodities that feed millions of hungry people in needy countries through its direct donations and concession programs.
The Emergency Watershed Protection program safeguards lives and property from floods, droughts, and the erosion on any watershed, when natural occurrences cause a sudden impairment of the watershed.
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters.