FEMA Approves 23 Added Ga. Counties for Aid

The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that disaster assistance has been made available for 23 additional Georgia counties to help local governments rebuild public property damaged by Tropical Storm Frances.

Michael Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, said the counties were added to the list of eligible jurisdictions based on a review of damage data gathered by federal and state disaster recovery officials.

The newly designated counties are Baker, Bleckley, Calhoun, Camden, Dougherty, Emanuel, Grady, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Long, McIntosh, Pike, Taliaferro, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Wayne, Webster, Wilcox, and Worth.

Counties originally designated to receive aid are Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Brantley, Brooks, Butts, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Echols, Elbert, Evans, Glynn, Greene, Houston, Irwin, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Lowndes, Macon, Monroe, Montgomery, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Rabun, Schley, Spalding, Sumter, Talbot, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Twiggs, Upson, Washington, Wheeler, Wilkes, and Wilkinson.

Each of the counties is approved for all seven categories of aid to state and local governments: debris removal, emergency protective measures, road systems and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and contents, public utilities, and parks and other recreational properties.

Local governments in the designated counties are eligible to apply for federal funds to help pay the costs of repairing storm damage to public property and facilities. The funds were authorized under the major disaster declaration issued by President Bush on Sept. 24, 2004, and made available through FEMA’s disaster assistance program for state and local governments.

“Under the expanded assistance,” said State Coordinating Officer Mike Sherberger, “affected local governments in both the newly designated counties as well as in the originally named counties are eligible to apply for federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, buildings, and utilities.”