Ohio counties are currently under severe drought

A new report released by the National Drought Mitigation revealed that large portions of Southeast Ohio and Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison, Noble, and Washington counties are currently experiencing severe drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows parts of the U.S. in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3), and exceptional (D4). All the counties in the 95th House District are D3, qualifying the area for assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“I encourage anyone who is experiencing hardships with their water resources, livestock, crops, and transportation to document the issues and report them to their local Soil and Water Conservation District and FFA,” said House Agriculture Chairman Don Jones  (R-Freeport)

A complete list of USDA disaster assistance programs can be found here .

“There are numerous programs available to our producers to help them recover from the extremely dry conditions we’re experiencing,” Jones continued. “Please take the time to review the resources available and share the information with others.”

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