PENSACOLA, Fla. — FEMA has approved a grant of $1,016,712 for the state of Florida to reimburse Escambia County for the costs of its county-wide debris removal after Hurricane Sally.
Escambia County employees collected and removed an additional 19,436 cubic yards of vegetative debris and 1,589 tons of construction and demolition debris from public roads and rights of way between Nov. 21, 2020 and Feb. 18, 2021, removing any of the remaining threat to public health and safety.
The grant is awarded through FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) works with FEMA during all phases of the program and reviews projects prior to FEMA final approval.
Applicants work directly with FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work. FEMA obligates funding for projects to FDEM after final approval.
Once a project is obligated, FDEM works closely with applicants to finalize grants and begin making payments. FDEM has procedures in place designed to ensure grant funding is provided to local communities as quickly as possible.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.