Atlanta

Kemp asks US Congress for more than $12 billion in storm recovery assistance for Georgia

By WSBTV.com News Staff

Hurricane Helene damage

By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is asking U.S. Congress to provide more than $12 billion in federal assistance.

According to Kemp, Helene was the most deadly hurricane to hit Georgia in more than 130 years. The previous record holder was 1893, according to the governor’s office.

In 2024, Hurricane Helene took the lives of 34 Georgians, including six children.

The damage to Georgia homes, businesses and industries after Hurricane Helene was sharp. Channel 2 Action News reported previously that more than $6 billion in damage was done to just the state’s agricultural industries.

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Of the state’s 159 counties, 96 are under a Major Disaster Declaration, 93 have been designated to receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program and 63 are designated for Individual Assistance Program benefits. State officials said more than 212,700 homes were damaged by the storm.

Now, Kemp’s letter is directly appealing to members of Congress for help with housing, infrastructure, debris removal, food assistance and more.

“Hurricane Helene wrought unparalleled damage across our state, leaving thousands of families displaced, businesses shuttered, and our farmers facing catastrophic losses. Georgia’s agricultural sector, a cornerstone of our economy and cultural identity, was hit particularly hard. Specialty crops, livestock operations, and small farms have suffered widespread devastation, many without sufficient insurance coverage to recover independently,” Kemp said in the letter.

As a result, he’s asking for about $12.2 billion in federal assistance, though even in his request for aid, the governor noted that the number may go up as more of the storm impacts are studied.

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The $12.2 billion assistance from the federal government, if fully provided, would be in addition to $100 million Georgia officials have already provided storm victims from the Georgia Development Authority.

The governor is requesting Congress provide an agricultural relief block grant program as part of their upcoming disaster supplemental legislation package to fund recovery efforts to hard hit areas, which in the past has been compared to a program enacted after 2018′s Hurricane Michael.

A full breakdown of the state’s federal request is detailed below.

What Georgia is asking for in federal assistance

Congressional Block Grant:

  • Georgia Department of Agriculture
    • $6.46 billion Block Grant to assist farmers and producers
  • Georgia Forestry Commission
    • $610,845,364 Block Grant for lost timber revenue

Department of Health and Human Services:

  • Georgia Department of Community Health
    • $40-$50 million for Emergency Hospital Funding

Department of Homeland Security - FEMA:

  • Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
    • $507,223 to provide crisis counseling services in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene (SAMHSA)
  • Georgia Department of Human Services
    • $14,514,906 for Public Assitance: Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)
  • Georgia Department of Public Health
    • $501,586 for Nursing Support
  • Georiga Department of Transportation
    • $200-$300 million for debris removal and emergency protective measures - Category A and B
  • Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
    • $497,090,311 for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
    • $772,432,152 (declared) for Public Assistance Damages Categories A through G
    • $226,511,208 distributed
    • $225,324,270 for Individuals and Household Program
  • University System of Georgia
    • $32,178,640 for Damages to Campuses in affected areas

Department of Housing and Urban Development:

  • Georgia Department of Community Affairs
    • $2.5 Billion Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery-Housing Recovery
    • $400,000,000 Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery-Economic Revitalization
    • $100,000,000 Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery-Community Infrastructure
    • $35,000,000 Emergency Housing Vouchger (EHV) Program

Department of Labor

  • Technical College System of Georgia
    • $2,700,000 to fund retraining of affected workers of the disaster

Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration

  • Georgia Department of Transportation
      • $8-$15 million in Emergency Relief (ER) Program Funding for damages to infrastructure

Department of Treasury

  • Georgia Department of Community Affairs
    • $20,000,000 for Affordable Housing Construction and Rehabilitation

Environmental Protection Agency

  • $150,000,000 for Clean Drinking Water State Revolving Funds

Total Requested Amount: $12,186,094,452

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