Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced a new federal drought disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), designating 31 municipalities as primary disaster areas and 22 more as contiguous areas. With this latest determination, a total of 63 municipalities across the island have now been included in three USDA drought disaster declarations issued since August.
The federal action expands the areas of Puerto Rico where eligible farmers and agricultural operators can be considered for federal assistance, including emergency loans through USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA). The FSA uses the primary and contiguous area categories to determine producer eligibility for certain disaster assistance programs, evaluating applications individually based on factors such as the extent of losses, ability to repay, and applicable loan security conditions.
González Colón welcomed the expansion, saying it incorporates new municipalities and broadens the areas that can benefit from available assistance tools to address the effects of the drought.