Mississippi Asks for Federal Disaster Declaration in Hinds County

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour asked the federal government to declare Hinds County a major disaster area after the county sustained large amounts of damage from severe weather and a tornado on April 4.

In Barbour’s letter to the president and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he requested FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program for storm victims who may qualify for federal grants of up to $28,000 to repair their homes. The program is only available for storm victims who do not have adequate insurance to repair a damaged dwelling.

State and federal assessment teams inspecting the hardest hit areas of Hinds County found damaged homes were either uninsured or underinsured, a requirement to obtain federal assistance.
The team reported the following findings:
• 25 homes destroyed
• 112 homes with major damage
• 144 homes with minor damage
• 38 homes affected
• All homes were under or uninsured
• 64 percent of the affected residents are renters

Barbour also requests that Hinds County be granted FEMA’s Public Assistance Program that will allow the city and county government to be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of all eligible debris removal and overtime costs associated with the storm.

Assessment findings for the Public Assistance costs associated with the storm are estimated at $2,577,535. That estimate includes overtime and debris removal costs for both the cities of Clinton and Jackson, and Hinds County.

Source: Office of the Governor of Mississippi