Over $15 Million in Disaster Funds Approved in Georgia for Irma Recovery

BRUNSWICK, Ga., Oct. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

In the month since Hurricane Irma caused damage across the state of Georgia, more than $15 million in state and federal funds have been approved for disaster survivors.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (http://www.gema.ga.gov/) (GEMA/HS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4338) are working in close coordination with other state and federal agencies, and voluntary organizations, to help Georgians recover from the damage left by the storm.

Recovery snapshot

The state and FEMA have approved nearly $9.8 million in Individuals and Households Program grants to help survivors with critical needs, temporary rental assistance, and uninsured or underinsured damage to their homes and personal property as a result of Irma. This includes:

* Nearly $4.4 million in temporary rental assistance to provide survivors with a temporary place to live while they repair their homes or find other permanent housing.

* More than $2.4 million in housing repair assistance to make homes safe, sanitary and functional.

* Nearly $2.9 million in other needs assistance.

o This includes grants for critical needs, such as replacement of food, prescriptions, infant formula, diapers, consumable medical supplies, durable medical equipment, personal hygiene items and fuel for transportation.

o Other disaster-related expenses addressed through this assistance may include damaged or destroyed vehicles, essential household items, and other needs.

o GEMA/HS provides 25 percent funding for other needs assistance approved for survivors. FEMA covers the remaining 75 percent.

More than $5 million in National Flood Insurance Program (https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program) claims have been paid, and more than 1,800 claims have been submitted.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $647,000 in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners and renters.

GEMA/HS and FEMA began opening joint Disaster Recovery Centers (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/144249) in counties designated for the Individuals and Households Program on Sept. 22. To date, 3,561 survivors have visited seven recovery centers across coastal and South Georgia. Five centers remain open. Survivors can locate the nearest center with the FEMA mobile app or by visiting www.fema.gov/DRC.

Thirty-seven Disaster Survivor Assistance (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/142789) workers continue canvassing affected neighborhoods, helping survivors register for FEMA assistance and providing referrals to other resources to help with any unmet needs. To date, the teams have reached 9,110 survivors and visited 8,667 homes.

State, local, and voluntary agencies play a major role in recovery

FEMA's Individuals and Households program is designed to help survivors with immediate essential needs, housing repairs to make their homes safe, sanitary and functional, temporary rental assistance so they can find a safe place to live until their homes are repaired or until they find other permanent housing options, and other disaster-related expenses. Many survivors may have additional needs beyond what can be provided by FEMA programs. FEMA works closely with state, federal, faith-based and voluntary agency partners to help match survivors who have remaining needs with other sources of assistance.

The state and FEMA are working with a number of voluntary organizations (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/144239) such as Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and Georgia Baptist Disaster Services, to assist disaster survivors in Georgia. GEMA/HS and FEMA voluntary agency liaisons are working with community-based recovery committees in Chatham and Camden counties and helping other counties develop committees to address long-term recovery needs.

Other federal agencies supporting Georgia

Other federal agencies are in the state of Georgia supporting the recovery of local communities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing technical assistance to local officials for debris removal efforts (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/143038). The U.S. Coast Guard is removing sunken and damaged vessels (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/143874) from the St. Mary's River in Camden County. The U.S. Small Business administration is providing low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofits to help with disaster related losses and has established Business Recovery Centers in Brunswick and Savannah.

Creative solutions to meet FEMA staffing needs

With an unprecedented number of large-scale disaster operations ongoing across U.S. states and territories, FEMA is using creative methods to supplement the 246 FEMA staff supporting Irma recovery efforts in Georgia.

Eight of FEMA's sister U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, are providing personnel under the DHS surge capacity force to help FEMA fill staffing needs in Georgia. 70 surge capacity staff have worked as part of the recovery team (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/145391) in Georgia, helping in the areas of logistics, Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, and Individual Assistance. Surge capacity staff in Georgia came from the following DHS entities: Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, Coast Guard, and DHS Headquarters. Staff from other agencies are trained to help FEMA fulfill its mission of serving disaster survivors and do not perform their regular job duties.

FEMA is also seeking local talent in Georgia to help with the recovery operation. Georgia residents looking for temporary work following Hurricane Irma have an opportunity to join FEMA's recovery team and help their neighbors and communities in the process. Positions are available in multiple locations throughout the state. Interested applicants can visit www.employgeorgia.com/jobseekers to find a list of available positions. The following jobs are currently being advertised: environmental specialist, historic preservation specialist, administrative/finance specialist, public assistance site inspectors, public assistance administrative assistant, congressional affairs liaison, media relations specialist, and voluntary agency liaison specialist. Interested Georgia residents should continue checking www.employgeorgia.com/jobseekers for updated listings as additional positions may be posted.

State and FEMA assisting with debris removal and infrastructure

GEMA/HS and FEMA Public Assistance (PA) program staff are initiating the new PA delivery model. GEMA/HS conducted applicant briefings with local government officials around the state in September. 102 counties are designated for all PA categories for infrastructure repair and replacement, and all 159 Georgia counties are designated for debris removal and emergency protective measures, categories A and B.

Just over a month left for survivors to register for assistance in Georgia

Disaster survivors in Georgia have until Nov. 14, 2017, to register with FEMA and apply for SBA disaster loans. Survivors who sustained damage or losses in Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Coffee, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh counties should register now if they haven't already done so.

* The quickest way to apply for federal assistance is online at DisasterAssistance.gov or through the FEMA mobile app.

* Survivors may also apply by phone at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711 or VRS) or

800-462-7585 (TTY). Because of high demand, lines may be busy. Please be patient, and try calling in the morning or evening when call volume may be lower.

* The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, seven days a week.

* Multilingual operators are available. Press 2 for Spanish and press 3 for other languages.

After registering with FEMA, applicants may be referred to and contacted by SBA. It is important those survivors complete the loan application even if they do not plan to accept a loan. It is a step in the federal disaster assistance process. Those who do not qualify for a home loan may become eligible for grant assistance from FEMA. Failing to submit the SBA application stops that process.

Additional information on the disaster loan program may be obtained by:

* Calling SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or

* Sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.

* Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

* Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov.

Get the latest news

For updated information on Georgia's hurricane recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4338 and gema.ga.gov.