GEMA/HS: Major Disaster Declared for Seven Counties, Individual and Public Assistance Available

Governor Brian Kemp has announced residents in seven Georgia counties affected by January 12 severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes are now eligible to apply for disaster assistance. The disaster declaration covers Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Spalding and Troup Counties for individual and public assistance.

“The declaration will provide resources to help cover the costs of the severe storms and tornadoes that took place on January 12,” said Chris Stallings, GEMA/HS Director. “It will be a great benefit to the communities in efforts to recover from this event.”

Individual Assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the tornadoes.

Public Assistance is available to state and local government entities and qualified not-for-profit organizations. It will provide financial aid for debris removal and emergency work.

Individuals in these designated counties can apply for assistance in any of the following ways:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
• Calling 1-800-621-3362
• People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.

For more information on the Major Disaster Declaration or Public Assistance, please email PublicAssistance@gema.ga.gov, and for Individual Assistance, email IndividualAssistance@gema.ga.gov.