DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707270096

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   38 lines

GOVERNOR SEEKS DISASTER FUNDS FOR 2 COUNTIES

Gov. George F. Allen has taken the first step in seeking federal disaster aid for two Virginia counties, including Isle of Wight, whose farm crops have suffered irreparable drought damage over the past two months.

Even as some crops were being replenished by the torrents of rain that fell on southeastern Virginia through much of last week, Allen was asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to survey damage in those areas where it was too late.

``My understanding is that the rain that's come may be a little bit too late for some of the crops,'' said Julie Overy, an Allen spokeswoman.

The Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors asked for help after learning that two months of heat and drought had taken an $11 million toll on the county's corn, soybean, cotton and peanut crops.

Corn in particular was damaged at its most critical stages of development, Jim Wright told the supervisors July 18. Wright, chairman of the area's Food Agriculture Council, said the blame falls on rainfall levels that were well below normal for June and the first half of July.

Asking for a crop assessment report is the first step the governor must take in seeking disaster relief, Overy said.

Once the federal report is done, the state will use it to apply for disaster designation from the secretary of agriculture. If granted, relief would come in the form of low-interest loans and a livestock feed subsidy, among other programs. Overy didn't know exactly how long it will take federal officials to produce the report, but she guessed it would be a matter of weeks.

In addition to Isle of Wight, the governor is seeking disaster relief for Buckingham County. Statewide, the governor's office estimates drought damage to be in the tens of millions of dollars. KEYWORDS: DROUGHT

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