5 months ago
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials announced Wednesday disaster assistance is expanding to seven additional Georgia counties. This will help pay for emergency measures and to repair, restore, or replace public facilities damaged or destroyed by September's severe storms and flooding.
"Dawson, Dooly, Heard, Houston, Peach, Rockdale, and Taylor counties are now eligible for all categories of Public Assistance," Federal Coordinating Officer Gracia Szczech said.
Funding, on a cost-share basis, can reimburse communities for emergency work associated with the disaster and to repair or replace flood-damaged infrastructure, according to a FEMA release.
Fourteen counties already had been designated for Public Assistance: Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton Paulding, Stephens and Walker.
Under the cost-share program, FEMA Public Assistance funds 75 percent of the cost for eligible work by state and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations that provide public services. The remaining 25 percent non-federal share comes from state and local sources. The state manages the grants for all projects.
Projects fall into the following categories:
Category A: Debris Removal
Category B: Emergency Protective Measures
Category C: Road Systems and Bridges
Category D: Water Control Facilities
Category E: Public Buildings and contents
Category F: Public Utilities
Category G: Parks, Recreational and other
President Obama's major disaster declaration on Sept. 24 immediately provided Individual Assistance to hard-hit Georgia counties. In 17 designated counties, homeowners and renters who suffered uninsured damages or loss as a result of the flooding may be eligible for disaster grants for temporary housing, home repair and other needs not met by other sources. Homeowners, renters and owners of businesses of all sizes may also be eligible for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The counties designated for Individual Assistance are: Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa,
Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker.
For more information on Georgia's disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.gema.ga.gov or www.ready.ga.gov/ or http://twitter.com/GeorgiaEMA or www.afcema.com
