GEORGIA — President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the State of Georgia ahead of Hurricane Helene’s anticipated landfall on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state in anticipation of the storm’s potential impacts.
While Tuesday’s declaration approved federal funds for residents in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long and Screven counties, the announcement Thursday expanded which areas would be eligible for assistance after the storm.
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Now, the following counties will be able to get direct federal assistance at 75% federal funding:
| Atkinson | Baker | Banks | Ben Hill | Berrien | Brooks |
| Calhoun | Cherokee | Clay | Clinch | Coffee | Cook |
| Crisp | Dawson | Decatur | Dooly | Dougherty | Early |
| Echols | Fannin | Forsyth | Franklin | Gilmer | Grady |
| Habersham | Hall | Irwin | Jackson | Lanier | Lee |
| Lowndes | Lumpkin | Macon | Miller | Mitchell | Pickens |
| Pulaski | Quitman | Rabun | Randolph | Schley | Seminole |
| Stephens | Stewart | Sumter | Terrell | Thomas | Tift |
| Towns | Turner | Union | Webster | White | Wilcox |
| Worth |
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The declaration also allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts “which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act” as well a stake actions to save lives, protect property and public health and safety while “lessening or averting the threat of catastrophe.”
Mass care reimbursements and federal assistance at 75% federal funding will also be available to residents of the following counties:
| Appling | Bacon | Baldwin | Barrow | Bartow | Bibb |
| Bleckley | Brantley | Burke | Butts | Camden | Carroll |
| Catoosa | Charlton | Chattahoochee | Chattooga | Clarke | Clayton |
| Cobb | Columbia | Coweta | Crawford | Dade | DeKalb |
| Dodge | Douglas | Elbert | Emanuel | Fayette | Floyd |
| Fulton | Glascock | Glynn | Gordon | Greene | Gwinnett |
| Hancock | Haralson | Harris | Hart | Heard | Henry |
| Houston | Jasper | Jeff Davis | Jefferson | Jenkins | Johnson |
| Jones | Lamar | Laurens | Lincoln | Madison | Marion |
| McDuffie | Meriwether | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Murray |
| Muscogee | Newton | Oconee | Oglethorpe | Paulding | Peach |
| Pierce | Pike | Polk | Putnam | Richmond | Rockdale |
| Screven | Spalding | Talbot | Taliaferro | Taylor | Telfair |
| Toombs | Treutlen | Troup | Twiggs | Upson | Walker |
| Walton | Ware | Warren | Washington | Wayne | Wheeler |
| Whitfield | Wilkes | Wilkinson |
In a more limited capacity, though still at 75% of federal funding, public assistance emergency protective measures will be provided to Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Tattnall counties.
Kevin A. Wallace of FEMA was appointed to coordinate the federal response in areas impacted by Helene.
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