Current:Home > NewsPresident Biden declares 3 Georgia counties are eligible for disaster aid after Hurricane Idalia-LoTradeCoin
President Biden declares 3 Georgia counties are eligible for disaster aid after Hurricane Idalia
View Date:2024-12-24 08:41:10
ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a disaster declaration for three Georgia counties following Hurricane Idalia’s sprint across southern and coastal Georgia on Aug. 30. The storm made landfall with 125 mph (201 kph) winds in Florida’s remote Big Bend region before moving north into Georgia.
Biden initially approved assistance to individuals and governments in Cook, Glynn and Lowndes counties.
Lowndes County, home to the city of Valdosta, experienced the worst damage, with estimates showing 80 homes destroyed and 835 homes sustaining major damage as winds reached nearly 70 mph (113 kph).
One man in Valdosta died when a tree fell on him as he tried to clear another tree from a road, sheriff’s deputies said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, in a letter sent Wednesday, requested aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to governments in 30 counties and individuals in the three counties Biden approved and added Appling County.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency expects more counties to be added and additional types of assistance granted.
Florida also has suffered three Idalia-related deaths. Biden initially approved seven counties in Florida for assistance after Idalia and has added six more.
“This assistance will quickly be put to good use helping those impacted by Hurricane Idalia,” Kemp said in a statement. “We will not stop calling for greater assistance until every Georgia county that sustained damage receives a federal disaster declaration and the help Georgians deserve.”
Aid to individuals can include cash to pay for temporary housing and repairs and low-cost loans to repair uninsured property. For local governments and electric cooperatives, FEMA will help reimburse debris removal and pay for emergency workers, as well as repair public infrastructure.
Kemp estimated Georgia governments saw at least $41 million in damage to public infrastructure, well above the $19 million threshold required statewide for a disaster declaration.
Individuals and business owners in the three counties can seek assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA app.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- Love Island USA: Get Shady With These Sunglasses From the Show
- Wendy Williams' guardian files lawsuit against Lifetime's parent company ahead of documentary
- Former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson has been facing property seizures, court records show
- Princess Kate to host annual Christmas carol service following cancer treatment
- Inside the enduring movie homes of Jack Fisk, production design legend
- Bail is set at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged in her 5-year-old foster son’s suffocation death
- Get 78% off Peter Thomas Roth, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, J.Crew, Samsonite, and More Deals This Weekend
- SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
- '(Expletive) bum': Knicks' Jalen Brunson heckled by own father during NBA 3-point contest
Ranking
- Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid Enjoy a Broadway Date Night and All that Jazz
- Emotional vigil held for 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham after family friend charged in her murder
- AT&T outage just a preview of what can happen when cell service goes out: How to prepare
- Oklahoma man hacked government auction site to buy cars for a buck
- Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
- Who has the power to sue Brett Favre over welfare money? 1 Mississippi Republican sues another
- Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend says I need to live on my own before we move in together
- Georgia Senate backs $5 billion state spending increase, including worker bonuses and roadbuilding
Recommendation
-
The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
-
Your Summer Tan Is Here: Dolce Glow's Founder on How to Get the Perfect Celeb-Loved Bronze at Home
-
Private lunar lander is closing in on the first US touchdown on the moon in a half-century
-
Vermont governor signs school funding bill but says it won’t solve property tax problem
-
2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
-
S🍩S doughnuts: Free Krispy Kreme sweetens day after nationwide cellphone outage
-
'(Expletive) bum': Knicks' Jalen Brunson heckled by own father during NBA 3-point contest
-
Dolly Parton Proves She’ll Always Love Beyoncé With Message on Her Milestone