ATLANTA – Six weeks after President Joe Biden signed a major disaster declaration following the Aug. 30 landfall of Hurricane Idalia, a total of more than $10.167 million in federal assistance has been approved for supporting the recovery of Georgia survivors.
Here are the numbers:
To date, more than $2.807 million in FEMA Housing Assistance has been approved for eligible homeowners and renters in Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Glynn and Lowndes counties. The funding will help pay for hurricane-related damage, including home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing.
Another FEMA program called Other Needs Assistance has approved more than $471,800 to help cover the cost of storm-related personal property replacement, moving and storage fees, transportation, childcare, medical and dental expenses.
In addition, FEMA’s federal partner in disaster assistance, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), has approved 152 long-term, low-interest disaster home loans, nine business disaster loans, and three economic injury loans (EIDL) for business working capital, totaling more than $6.888 million.
The state of Georgia and FEMA operate Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) which provide one-on-one assistance to survivors. To find the closet one, visit fema.gov/drc. Homeowners and renters can visit any center for assistance. To date, DRCs have been visited by 2,057 survivors.
How to Apply to FEMA
You can apply online at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA mobile app. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to, youtube.com/watch?v= WZGpWI2RCNw.
The last day to apply for FEMA assistance is Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
For the latest information on Georgia’s recovery from Hurricane Idalia, visit fema.gov/disaster/4738, follow FEMA on X, formerly known as Twitter, at twitter.com/femaregion4 and at facebook.com/fema.