FEMA announced a $350 million package Friday to reimburse Georgia localities and electric cooperatives for Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby recovery work, including debris removal, road repairs and utility restoration. The move follows reports from Sen. Raphael Warnock that hundreds of millions in Helene aid remained unpaid, with Warnock saying withheld funds rose to about $600 million. Separate USDA farm assistance of roughly $531 million is pending final approval and a state distribution plan, with Gov. Brian Kemp saying a portal will open soon.
FEMA Allocates $350M to Georgia After Questions Over Delayed Hurricane Helene Aid
FILE -A claw operator scoops up debris from homes demolished following Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
ATLANTA (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday it will provide $350 million to local governments and electric cooperatives to support recovery from Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby. The funding is designated to reimburse cleanup and repair costs, including debris removal, road repairs and utility restoration across affected communities.
Hurricane Helene swept across much of the Southeast in September 2024, battering communities in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and neighboring states with high winds and heavy rainfall. The new FEMA allocation comes after scrutiny from Georgia leaders and lawmakers over previously unpaid disaster aid.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia released a report earlier this year saying nearly $500 million in Helene-related disaster aid remained unpaid. This week Warnock said the total of withheld funds had climbed to about $600 million and vowed to keep pressing FEMA for additional payments.
FILE - Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"Hurricanes and natural disasters are not political; they do not care if you voted red or blue, and Georgia counties and cities went right to work recovering from Helene’s destruction with the understanding the federal government would fulfill its promises and pay their share. It should not have gotten to this point." — Sen. Raphael Warnock
Warnock previously led a bipartisan group of Georgia members of Congress in a December letter to congressional leaders requesting at least $12 billion in federal supplemental disaster funding for Helene recovery. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also requested federal assistance in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
In related relief efforts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced plans in September to provide about $531 million in aid to Georgia farmers. That commitment has been contingent on a finalized agreement outlining how the state will disburse the block grant.
Gov. Kemp said Friday that the state plans to open a portal for farmers to apply for the USDA-backed assistance once the department gives final approval for the program.
What Comes Next: The $350 million FEMA disbursement will begin to reimburse eligible localities and electric cooperatives for documented recovery expenses. Lawmakers and state officials say they will continue to press for any additional funds they say remain outstanding.
