Butler, Hamilton counties offered drought aid | News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Nine more Ohio counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas because of drought and heat. That makes them eligible for federal assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that farmers in Butler, Defiance, Fulton, Hamilton, Henry, Paulding, Preble, Putnam and Van Wert counties are now eligible for federal loans. Williams County was the first in Ohio to receive the disaster designation last week, as the nation faces the worst drought in more than 50 years

The nine Ohio counties were among 172 counties across the country that the government designated as primary natural disaster areas Wednesday. Another 11 Ohio counties have been designated contiguous disaster counties.

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