ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp is asking for $12.2 billion in federal assistance to help Georgia recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
The storm killed 34 Georgians when it cut a swath across South Georgia north into the August area in late September, causing heavy rainfall and flooding as well as widespread power outages. Ninety-six of the state’s 159 counties are still under a major disaster declaration.
“Hurricane Helene wrought unparalleled damage across our state, leaving thousands of families displaced, businesses shuttered, and our farmers facing catastrophic losses,” Kemp wrote Tuesday in a letter to the four chairs and ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations committees.
“Georgia’s agricultural sector, a cornerstone of our economy and cultural identity, was hit particularly hard. Specialty crops, livestock operations, and small farms have suffered widespread devastation, many without sufficient insurance coverage to recover independently.”
The Georgia State Financing and Reinvestment Commission voted early this month to redirect $100 million from a state capital projects fund to provide financial support for farmers and timber producers affected by Helene.
But Kemp wrote that the scale of the damage necessitates federal assistance. He asked that the federal relief package include an agricultural block grant component.
The governor’s request to Congress includes $200 million to $300 million for debris removal and emergency protective measures, $40 million to $50 million in emergency hospital funding, $35 million for an emergency housing voucher program, and $32 million to repair damages to University System of Georgia campuses.