Hurricane Resources

Thank you to our first responders, linemen, volunteers, National Guardsmen, and Emergency Management officials who are working around the clock to help our district recover after Hurricane Helene.

Our office is continuing to assess and monitor the damage in our district and coordinate with local and state officials about potential disaster relief.

At this time, please see the below available updates and guidance:

Federal:

FEMA:

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.

Small Business Administration:

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, and Telfair 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, Tift, 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.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov 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.

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.

Additionally, due to long-standing federal law, producers should not perform any clean-up efforts until an environmental evaluation has been completed by your local county office unless there is an immediate threat to human life. Failure to comply could jeopardize a producer's payment eligibility. Debris removal is permitted as long as there is no ground disturbance.

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

 

Georgia:

Georgia Power and Georgia EMC:

Both Georgia Power and Georgia EMC have deployed thousands of linemen to restore power to all areas affected by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane damaged several high-voltage transmission lines, which are critical to the electric grid.

Conditions in many areas are dangerous, so please be patient as they work to restore power as safely as possible.

During the recovery and restoration effort, make sure to avoid downed power lines and assume that any downed lines are energized. Downed lines are extremely dangerous and could be fatal depending on ground conditions. This is especially true in wet situations and even more with standing water due to this storm.

Please also keep a safe distance from crews as they work to restore power.

Both Georgia Power and Georgia EMC have power outage maps where you can track the status of local outages.

Track outages with Georgia Power here.

Track outages with Georgia EMC here.

Georgia Department of Agriculture:

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is working with state, federal, and industry partners to assess Hurricane Helene's damage.

Georgia Ag Commissioner Tyler Harper reported that there is mass damage to row crops, tree nuts, poultry houses, timber, and more.

They ask that you follow these tips to report damage:

1) Document the Damage: Before starting any cleanup activity, make sure to take pictures of the damage and losses that have occurred.

2) Call Insurance Agent: If you have crop insurance, contact your crop insurance agent to report losses or damages. It is important to do this before starting any cleanup activities so that everything can be documented properly. Furthermore, farmers need to notify their crop insurance agent within 72 hours of the discovery of a loss. Farmers should provide a signed, written notice within 15 days of the loss.

3) Contact the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA): Contact your local FSA office. It is important to do this before starting any cleanup activities so that everything can be documented properly and a waiver can be issued before cleanup. 

Report Hurricane Helene damage on their online reporting form (preferred method).  You may also email Helene@agr.georgia.gov.

GDA's Emergency Response Hotline: 1-855-491-1432

Keep updated at the GDA's website here.