$27.9 M in Assistance Helps Mend Hospital, Communities Damaged By March Tornadoes

ATLANTA, Ga. – Six months have passed since Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus became the major casualty of a tornado and severe storms that struck Georgia in March. The good news is that the hospital is well on the mend with more than $9 million in FEMA Public Assistance grants approved thus far to build an interim hospital complex slated to open late this year.

Altogether, $27,968,851 million in federal and state assistance has been approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to help eligible individuals, communities and counties recover from the disaster.

This includes nearly $17 million in state and federal Public Assistance obligated for debris removal, disaster-related emergency services and repair or reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in Baker, Clay, Crawford, Hancock, McDuffie, Mitchell, Muscogee, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Warren, Webster and Wilkinson counties.

Federal aid approved includes more than $1.3 million in FEMA assistance for individuals and households in Baker, Crawford, Dougherty, McDuffie, Mitchell, Sumter, Taylor, Warren and Worth counties and more than $9.5 million in low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters and businesses.

Below are key recovery numbers as of August 29, 2007:

  • $1,323,054 in disaster assistance has been approved through the Individuals and Households Program:
    • $875,520 has been approved for Housing Assistance. This includes temporary disaster housing and help in restoring uninsured homes that were made unsafe, unsanitary or non-functional.
    • $447,534 in disaster assistance has been approved for Other Needs Assistance (ONA). ONA awards are for disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs such as medical or dental expenses; funeral expenses; moving and storage; transportation costs; and the repair or replacement of household appliances, clothing and necessary educational materials.
  • $9,599,900 in loans has been approved by the SBA for homeowners, renters and businesses:
    • $5,588,300 in loans for homeowners and renters.
    • $4,011,600 in business loans.
  • $93,235 in Disaster Unemployment Insurance has been disbursed.

  • $16,952,662.23 in Public Assistance funds has been obligated.

  • $2,463,344.34 state obligated

  • $14,489,317.89 FEMA obligated

    A county-by-county summary of Individual and Household Program assistance can be found here.

    FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

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    FEMA press release

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