A state of emergency has been declared in Sioux County, Nebraska, after a wildfire was triggered by lightning strikes and severe weather during a time of dry summer heat.
“The Corkscrew Road Fire wildfire has endangered the health and safety of Nebraska citizens and has damaged or threatened public and private property,” the decree states. “The Corkscrew Road Fire has created problems greater in scope than local governments alone may resolve.”
Located in the Nebraska panhandle, the closest major metropolitan area to Sioux County is Denver, Colorado.
The fire burned some 30 acres and continues to threaten the health and safety of Nebraskans while damaging and threatening both public and private property, according to state officials.
The proclamation activates state resources and authorizes the use of the governor’s emergency fund to help cover costs associated with responding to the fire and mitigating its impact.
“I hereby direct the Nebraska Adjutant General, who also serves as State Disaster Coordinator, to activate appropriate State emergency plans and to take such steps as he deems necessary to meet this emergency and to continue these actions until such time as the threat to life and property created by this situation has been alleviated,” the decree states.
A Secretarial natural disaster designation is a formal declaration that triggers immediate federal financial assistance for farmers and ranchers in the form of emergency credit through emergency farm loans.
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) grants the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.
Emergency loans cover the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts, according to the USDA FSA.
The deadline to apply is March 6, 2027.
Primary eligible counties are Garden, Grant, Lincoln and Morrill while contiguous eligible counties include Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawson, Deuel, Frontier, Hayes, Hooker, Keith, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, and Scotts Bluff as well as Sheridan.