FEMA

I personally met with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell as she surveyed the damage and spoke with many of you about how Hurricane Helene impacted your homes and community. 

As of now, President Biden has authorized FEMA to issue individual assistance to applicants in Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Telfair, and Tift counties.

Individual assistance can 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 disaster. 

Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Telfair, and Tift counties.

Other counties may be added as FEMA reviews applications. We will send updates as they are available.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online here, by calling 1-800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA App.

If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

Apply for disaster relief here.

Small Business Administration (SBA)

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced disaster assistance loans available for Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Telfair, and Tift Counties, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.

Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Baldwin, Bleckley, Dodge, Thomas, Turner, Twiggs, Wilcox, Wilkinson, and Worth counties.

Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.

Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.

Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 29, 2024. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 30, 2025.

Click here for more information and to apply.

USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers impacted by Hurricane Helene that FSA has programs and resources available to provide assistance in recovery efforts. USDA staff in Georgia stand ready and are eager to assist our state’s producers in the aftermath of this storm.

It is critical that producers keep accurate records to document damage or loss (take pictures, count trees, etc.) and report losses and damage to your local USDA Service Center as soon as possible.

Find the USDA’s Hurricane Helene Recovery Resources page here.

Joining AgNet to Give Update About the State of Georgia Ag After Helene

AgNet | Georgia Lawmakers Call for Swift Assistance after Hurricane Helene

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, representatives from Georgia’s congressional delegation are rallying to provide support for the state’s agricultural community, which has faced catastrophic losses. The hurricane, which swept through the Southeast, has left farmers and agricultural operations in dire straits, and officials are calling for swift federal assistance.

Representative Austin Scott, who represents Georgia’s 8th congressional district, has spent the last several days visiting affected areas to thank volunteers and assess the situation.

'Yesterday we started in Ben Hill County…a tremendous number of volunteers at one of the schools that has power, putting together lunches and breakfast for the kids,' he explained. With many local schools lacking power, the need for community support to provide meals has become crucial. 'It’s just incredibly important…to make sure that the community can get fed.'"

Read more here.

Agri-Pulse | Hurricane Helene leaves crops, farms with catastrophic damage

"Georgia, the Carolinas and eastern Tennessee are facing severe damage from Category 4 Hurricane Helene that made landfall in Florida’s panhandle Thursday flattening crops, destroying infrastructure and taking more than 130 lives in the storm’s destructive path...

House Ag Committee member Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., along with Georgia’s entire congressional delegation and 34 lawmakers from southeastern states, signed a letter urging congressional leadership to collaborate with the Biden Administration to ensure disaster relief is available to farmers and growers following the storm. 

'Helene delivered a devastating blow to our state’s number-one industry,' Scott told Agri-Pulse. 'Agriculture is the main economic driver of most southeastern rural communities, and I’m thankful for all lawmakers who joined Senator Ossoff and me in sending this bipartisan, bicameral letter to leadership.'"

Read more here.