The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Georgia to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of 22 December, 2015 to 13 January 13, 2016.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding.
Funding will be eligible for the counties of Baker, Carroll, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dade, Decatur, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Gilmer, Greene, Haralson, Harris, Jeff Davis, Lamar, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Montgomery, Morgan, Muscogee, Newton, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Stewart, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Towns, Troup, Upson, Webster, and Wilkes.
The funding can cover costs such as emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health. Repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property can also be covered, as can costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters.
FEMA says that application procedures for state, local and tribal governments will be explained at a series of federal/state applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials.
Approved public repair projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.
Rosalyn L. Cole has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Cole said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
