Trump Approves Disaster Funds For Georgia

ATLANTA, GA — President Donald Trump has officially declared a disaster in Georgia after Hurricane Irma, freeing up federal funds to help in areas hard hit by the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that disaster assistance has been made available to supplement state and local recovery efforts in Camden, Chatham and Glynn counties. Those coastal areas saw heavy flooding and other damage when Irma, which hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane then rolled into Georgia as a tropical storm, rolled through on Monday.

The funding, which was requested by Gov. Nathan Deal, means the federal government will pick up 75 percent of the costs of recovery in those areas. State and local governments typically cover the remaining 25 percent.

According to FEMA, the federal funding can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-coast loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the storm. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The money will go to state and eligible local governments, as well as certain private nonprofit groups and to direct federal assistance throughout the state.

Officials say additional areas in Georgia may be deemed disaster areas at a later time.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas may begin applying for assistance by registering online or calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Applicants with a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 1-800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers will be open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.

Meanwhile in Georgia, the number of people still without power after Irma was dwindling.

As of 9 a.m. Saturday, Georgia Power reported that about 11,300 customers were still without power. Georgia EMC, which represents the state's electrical cooperatives, was reporting another 14,750 customers without service.

Those numbers are way down from the nearly 1.5 million Georgians who were without power on Monday, when Irma downed trees and power lines all over the state.

Georgia Power said that Saturday morning's numbers represented a return of power to more than 95 percent of the impacted customers. The company hit that mark 48 hours earlier than its initial forecast of Sunday night.

Georgia EMC in a statement said its 4,500 linemen and other personnel are now working on the most heavily damaged areas of their system and addressing the most remote and scattered outages. The majority of the remaining outages should be addressed by midnight Saturday, the statement said.

Elsewhere, state officials were investigating reports of water from Hurricane Irma contaminating fuel at gas stations across the state. The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported that it had shut down pumps in Bibb, Camden, Cobb, Fulton, Henry, Jenkins, Lamar, Lowndes, Peach and Upson counties due to water contamination directly linked to the storm.

Inspectors were being pulled from their regular duties to test stations throughout the state.

"We are currently using all of our resources to monitor fuel supplies and proactively look for water contamination problems in order to assist both industry and consumer," Fuel and Measures Division Director Rich Lewis said. "Although we understand that many are facing fuel challenges, it is important to note that there are still many stations throughout Georgia without power and fuel."

Gasoline is typically stored in underground tanks at service stations. Heavy rainfall can increase the likelihood of water leaching into the tanks and contaminating fuel, which can damage a vehicle's engine. If you suspect any issues with your fuel supply, call the Fuel and Measure division at 1-800-282-5852.

Also, the American Red Cross of Southeast and Coastal Georgia on Saturday was mobilizing a response to provide comfort and supplies in areas hit worst by the storm. Relief supplies were being deployed by volunteers throughout coastal Georgia beginning tomorrow.

Photo courtesy American Red Cross