President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has officially declared a major disaster in Georgia due to the damages caused by Tropical Storm Debby, which occurred from August 4 to August 20, 2024. This declaration paves the way for federal aid to enhance the recovery processes undertaken by state, tribal, and local authorities in the impacted regions.
Residents in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long, and Screven counties can now access federal funding. This aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to compensate for uninsured property damages, and other assistance programs designed to aid individuals and business owners in recuperating from the disaster.
Additionally, federal funds have been made available to state, tribal, and qualified local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. These funds are intended for emergency operations and to repair or replace public facilities damaged by the storm in several counties including Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Effingham, Evans, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Lanier, Long, Lowndes, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Ware, and Wayne.
Lastly, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Kevin A. Wallace Sr., representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will oversee the federal recovery efforts in the designated areas.
Further designations may follow based on subsequent damage assessments and requests by the state.
Those affected can apply for assistance via www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or through the FEMA App.
Users of relay services like video relay or captioned telephone should provide FEMA with their service's contact number.