Disaster Wide Public Notice DR 4830 - Direct Housing Amendment

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hereby gives notice to the public of its intent to provide financial assistance to the State of Georgia, local and Indian tribal governments, and private nonprofit organizations under major disaster declaration FEMA-4830-DR-GA.  This notice applies to the Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) programs implemented under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5207 (Stafford Act). This public notice concerns activities that may affect historic properties, activities that are in or affect wetland areas and the 1% annual chance floodplain, and activities that may involve critical actions within the 0.2% annual chance floodplain. Such activities may adversely affect the historic property, floodplain, wetland, or may result in continuing vulnerability to flood damage.

I. Public Notice – Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-4830-DR-GA and Overview of Authorized Assistance

The President declared a major disaster for the State of Georgia on September 30, 2024, because of Hurricane Helene, pursuant to his authority under the Stafford Act.  This declaration has authorized FEMA to provide, through its Public Assistance Program, reimbursement or direct Federal assistance to eligible state, local, tribal and certain private-nonprofit organizations applicants for emergency work Categories A and B, and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities in the designated areas. 

Amendment No.1, issued October 1, 2024, to the notice of major declarations for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 1, identified Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lincoln, McDuffie, Montgomery, Screven, Telfair, Treutlen, Ware, Washington, and Wheeler Counties for Individual Assistance and for Public Assistance debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program. 

Amendment No. 2, Issued October 3, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 3, identified Effingham, Elbert, Rabun, and Tift for Individual Assistance and Effingham and Tift Counties for Public Assistance debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program. 

Amendment No. 3, Issued October 4, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 4, identified Bryan, Butts, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Long, Newton, and Wayne Counties for Individual Assistance.

Amendment No. 4, Issued October 9, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 9, identified Dodge, Hancock, Thomas, and Warren Counties for Individual Assistance and Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Burke, Coffee, Effingham, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Pierce, Screven, and Ware Counties for Public Assistance permanent work [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance), and Brantley, Mitchell, Wayne (already designated for Individual Assistance), and Worth Counties for Public Assistance Cat A-G. 

Amendment No. 5, Issued October 11, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 11, identified Brantley County (already designated for Public Assistance, including direct Federal Assistance) and Fulton County for Individual Assistance. Berrien, Brooks, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Colquitt, Cook, Emanuel, Evans, Laurens, Liberty, Lowndes, Tattnall, Tift, and Toombs Counties for permanent work [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program) and Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, and Long Counties (already designated for Individual Assistance) for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance. Pulaski, Twiggs, Wilcox, and Wilkinson Counties were designated for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance.

Amendment No. 6, Issued October 14, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 14, identified McIntosh County for Individual Assistance. Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Johnson, McDuffie, Montgomery, Richmond, Telfair, and Wheeler Counties were identified for permanent work [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program). Dodge, Thomas, and Warren Counties (already designated for Individual Assistance) were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance. Dooly, Grady, McIntosh, and Monroe Counties were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance. 

Amendment No. 7, Issued October 16, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 16, identified Taliaferro County for Individual Assistance.  Ben Hill and Irwin Counties were identified for permanent work [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program). Taliaferro and Turner Counties were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance. 

Amendment No. 8, Issued October 21, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the state of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated October 21, identified Clinch, Echols, Lanier, Lincoln, Treutlen, and Washington Counties for permanent work [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program). Banks, Bleckley, Dawson, Decatur, Franklin, Gilmer, Greene, Habersham, Hart, Jackson, Jasper, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Pike, Putnam, Stephens, White, and Wilkes Counties were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance. Butts, Elbert, Hancock, and Rabun Counties were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance (already designated for Individual Assistance).

Amendment No. 10, issued November 4, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the State of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated November 4, gave notice that the incident period for this disaster is closed effective October 30, 2024. 

Amendment No.11, issued November 4, 2024, to the notice of major declaration for the State of Georgia (FEMA DR-4830-GA), dated November 4, identified Stephens and Wilkes Counties for Individual Assistance (already designated for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance.) Baldwin, Crisp and Paulding Counties were identified for Public Assistance, including direct Federal assistance.

The Public Assistance Program is authorized by Sections 403, 406, and 407 of the Stafford Act. These actions may include the establishment of temporary staging locations, and temporary sheltering for at-risk populations.  This will be the only public notice concerning these actions.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will be available statewide. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This declaration also authorized FEMA to provide Individual Assistance in the form of financial assistance and direct services funding Assistance to individuals and households under Section 408 of the Stafford Act. For the following counties, Appling, Berrien, Burke, Clinch, Coffee, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Lanier, Lowndes, McDuffie, and Toombs, these actions may include repair, restoration, or construction of housing or private bridges, purchase and placement of travel trailers or manufactured housing units, or repair of structures as minimum protective measures. This will be the only public notice concerning these actions.

These actions are not anticipated to have an impact on a floodplain/wetland. This will be the only public notice concerning these actions.

II. Public Notice – Financial Assistance for Activities that Affect Historic Properties or Located in or that Affect Wetland Areas or Floodplains

Some of the activities for which FEMA provides financial assistance under the Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs may affect historic properties, may be located in or affect wetland areas or the 1% annual chance floodplain, and may involve critical actions within the 0.2% annual chance floodplain.  In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), all federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives. FEMA must also comply with Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management; Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands; the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Pub. L. No. 89-655 (1966) (codified as amended at 16 U.S.C. § 470 et seq.) (NHPA); and the implementing regulations at 44 C.F.R. pt. 9 and 36 C.F.R. pt. 800.  The Executive Orders, NHPA, and NEPA regulations require FEMA to provide public notice for certain activities as part of approving the award of financial assistance for specific projects. 

A. Federal Actions in or Affecting Floodplains and Wetlands

FEMA has determined that for certain types of facilities there are normally no alternatives to restoration in the floodplain or wetland. These are facilities that meet all of the following criteria: 1) FEMA’s estimate of the cost of repairs is less than 50% of the cost to replace the entire facility and is less than $364,000; 2) the facility is not located in a floodway or coastal high hazard area; 3) is not a new facility or structure; 4) the facility has not sustained major structural damage in a previous Presidentially declared flooding disaster or emergency; and  5) the facility is not critical (e.g.,  the facility is not one for which even a slight chance of flooding is too great, such as  a hospital, generating plant, emergency operations center, or a facility that contains dangerous materials). FEMA intends to provide assistance for the restoration of these facilities to their pre-disaster form, function and capacity, except that certain measures to mitigate the effect of future flooding or other hazards may be included in the work. For example, a bridge or culvert restoration may include a larger waterway opening to decrease the risk of future washouts.

For routine activities, this will be the only public notice provided. Other activities and those involving facilities that do not meet the five criteria enumerated above are required to undergo more detailed review, including the study of alternate locations. Subsequent public notices regarding such projects will be published, if necessary, as more specific information becomes available.

In many cases, an applicant may have started facility restoration before federal involvement. Even if the facility must undergo detailed review and analysis of alternate locations, FEMA will fund eligible restoration at the original location if the facility is functionally dependent on its floodplain location (e.g., bridges and flood control facilities), or the project facilitates an open space use, or the facility is an integral part of a larger network that is impractical or uneconomical to relocate, such as a road. In such cases, FEMA must also examine the possible effects of not restoring the facility, minimizing floodplain or wetland impacts, and determining both that an overriding public need for the facility clearly outweighs the Executive Order requirements to avoid the floodplain or wetland, and that the site selected is the only practicable alternative. The State and local officials will confirm to FEMA that proposed actions comply with all applicable federal, state and local floodplain management and wetland protection requirements.

In determining if a proposed action is in the floodplain, FEMA will identify whether the action is subject to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) (any action where FEMA funds are used for new construction, substantial improvement, or to address substantial damage to a structure or facility, and to all structure elevation, mitigation reconstruction, and dry floodproofing actions under HMGP). If the action is subject to the FFRMS, FEMA will establish the FFRMS floodplain area and associated flood elevation by using the process specified in 44 CFR 9.7(c) and FEMA Policy: FFRMS (FP 206-24-005). For actions not subject to the FFRMS, FEMA will use the 1% annual chance (base or 100-year) floodplain and flood elevation for non-critical actions and the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) floodplain and flood elevation for critical actions.

B. Federal Actions Affecting Historic Properties

Section 106 of the NHPA requires FEMA to consider the effects of its activities (known as undertakings) on any historic property and to afford the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) an opportunity to comment on such projects before the expenditure of any federal funds. An Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or Hazard Mitigation Grant Program activity is an “undertaking” for the purposes of the NHPA, and a historic property is any property that is included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). For historic properties that will not be adversely affected by FEMA’s undertaking, this will be the only public notice. FEMA may provide additional public notices if a proposed FEMA undertaking would adversely affect a historic property.

III. Further Information or Comment

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the civil rights of persons with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by the federal government, federal contractors, and by recipients of federal financial assistance. Any recipient or sub-recipient of federal funds is required to make their programs accessible to individuals with disabilities. Its protections apply to all programs and businesses that receive any federal funds. This applies to all elements of physical/architectural, programmatic and communication accessibility in all services and activities conducted by or funded by FEMA. FEMA intends to comply with the Rehabilitation Act in all federally conducted and assisted programs in alignment with the principals of whole community inclusion and universal accessibility.

FEMA also intends to provide HMGP funding to the State of Georgia to mitigate against future disaster related damage. These projects may include construction of new facilities, modification of existing, undamaged facilities, relocation of facilities out of floodplains, demolition of structures, or other types of projects to mitigate future disaster damage. While developing project proposals, subsequent public notices will be published, if necessary, as more specific information becomes available.

This may be the only public notice regarding the actions described above for which FEMA may provide financial assistance under the Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or Hazard Mitigation Programs. Interested persons may obtain information about these actions or a specific project by writing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV - 3005 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4112 or by email at FEMA-R4EHP@fema.dhs.gov. Please include in the subject line of the email “DR 4830-GA EHAD”. Comments should be sent in writing to the above address within 30 days of the date of this notice.