Deal calls Georgia legislators into session over storm costs

ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday announced he will call lawmakers back to Atlanta on Nov. 13 for a special session to cover the cleanup costs associated with Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia earlier this month.

Channel 2's Richard Elliot is at the State Capitol to find out why the governor says it's critical he makes this rare move right now.

Deal told Elliot he hopes to have a better idea what the price tag will be Nov. 13 because people need the help as soon as possible.

"We have had tremendous damage as a result of Hurricane Michael," Deal said. "The communities and the people affected by that hurricane had their family homes, their businesses, in many cases totally destroyed."

Hurricane Michael tore through southwest Georgia, ravaging communities, but particularly the agriculture industry.

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Last week, Vice President Mike Pence joined Deal last week as he toured some of the damage done to things like pecan orchards and timber groves.

It's still too soon to know how much it will cost to help hard-hit areas, but Deal estimates it did more than a quarter of a billion dollars in damage just to the timber industry.

The federal government is helping pay for the relief efforts, but it can be a slow process, taking as long as two years. That's why Deal decided to call the special session now and not wait for the General Assembly to convene in January.

"The need is critical," Deal said, "And if you are in a bad situation, like many of these people are, they can't afford to wait another two months. These are areas of our state, and these people are deserving of this kind of extra help."

Special sessions are pretty rare other than for required redistricting. This will be the first one since Sonny Perdue called one ten years ago.

Cox Media Group