2024 Drought Resources for West Virginia and Ohio

On September 27, 2024, NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), in partnership with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and the Northeast Regional Climate Center, hosted a Special Drought Webinar for West Virginia and Ohio. This webinar provided drought information and resources for West Virginia and Ohio, as well as surrounding states in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.  

During the webinar, speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Northeast Regional Climate Center, NOAA’s National Weather Service, FEMA and EPA Region 3, State of Ohio Department of Agriculture, West Virginia Emergency Management Division, and others shared existing Federal, state, and local resources available to help communities cope with the impacts of drought.

Below is a list a of federal and state drought resources discussed during the webinar.

For additional information, please contact Sylvia Reeves or Elizabeth Ossowski.

Federal Drought Resources

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• EPA Region 3
• EPA Region 5
• Drought and wildfire resources:
  • Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU)
  • Incident Action Checklists (prepare, respond, and recovery actions)
  • Drought Resilience
  • Wildfires
• Funding opportunities:
  •  Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program
  • Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• FEMA Region 3
• FEMA Region 5
• DisasterAssistance.gov
• FEMA has two limited recovery programs with adverse economic impacts following a drought: 
  • Disaster Unemployment Assistance
  • Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Mitigation grant opportunities: 
  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and HMGP Post Fire
  • Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
  • Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)

• USDA/FSA drought programs:
  • Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)
  • Emergency Assistance For Livestock, Honey Bees, And Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP)
  • Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
  • Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)
  • Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Low-interest Emergency Loans
• Find your local FSA County Office at farmers.gov:
  • West Virginia
  • Ohio

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

• MySBA Loan Portal
• Determine your eligibility

State Drought Resources

Ohio State Climate Office

• Drought Conditions and Resources
• Newsletters: Agronomic Crops Team, Farm Office, Beef Cattle, Ohio VegNetNews

Ohio Department of Agriculture

• 2024 Ohio Drought Resources
• Drought Resources Information Card (PDF)
• Ohio Hay Directory

Ohio Rural Water Association

West Virginia Emergency Management Division

Key Partners

NIDIS would like to thank the following partners for their contributions to this list of resources and to the Special Drought Webinar for West Virginia and Ohio:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • National Weather Service 
  • National Centers for Environmental Information
• Northeast Regional Climate Center
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
• Ohio State Climate Office
• Ohio Department of Agriculture
• Ohio Rural Water Association
• West Virginia Emergency Management Division