Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the major disaster declaration issued by the President for counties in Middle and Southwest Georgia struck by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018. The declaration opens up potential eligibility for additional federal individual disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
 
“Hurricane Michael caused significant devastation to communities and families throughout Middle and Southwest Georgia,” said Congressman Bishop. “This new major disaster declaration paves the way for individual assistance to be provided to those families who have had their lives upended by the hurricane. It also provides communities with resources to remove debris and restore infrastructure and services. The road to recovery will be long but this is an important early to step to ensure access to the resources needed to rebuild.”
 
The federal declaration specifically includes FEMA Individual Assistance for Baker, Dougherty, Early, Miller, Seminole counties. FEMA’s Individual Assistance program provides federal resources for impacted individuals and households, including financial assistance for temporary housing, home-repair, and damage to essential household items. Additionally, this assistance covers disaster-related childcare, medical, and essential vehicle expenses.
 
The declaration also provides FEMA Public Assistance for Baker, Calhoun, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, and Worth counties. FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides resources for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
 
Finally, the declaration provides statewide eligibility for FEMA’s hazard mitigation program, which provides grants for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.