The federal government recently approved almost $1.4 billion in funding for hurricane damage claims in Florida, North Carolina and Georgia.

At the beginning of April, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that 107 counties were combined under several major disaster declarations for the states of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. These declarations will provide nearly $1.4 billion in relief for areas affected by Hurricane Michael.

Hurricane Michael was a category 4 hurricane which first made landfall in Florida in October 2018. Winds from the hurricane reached 155 mph and the storm caused an estimated $25.1 billion in damages. This includes damage to the southeastern United States, in states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. At least 72 deaths were reported as a result of the storm, with 57 of them in the United States.

Federal agencies such as FEMA are typically responsible for allocating emergency funds and assisting affected areas after natural disasters such as hurricanes. According to FEMA, the following funds have been administered for continued benefits of hurricane damage claims and relief efforts:

• $307 million in reimbursement has been channeled to other federal agencies which teamed up with FEMA during the response and recovery efforts.
• Around $153 million in grants have been awarded to 36,300 survivors from Florida and Georgia. These grants, awarded through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program, provide rental assistance, home repairs, and the repair or replacement of essential personal property.
• Nearly $37 million will reimburse governments and nonprofit organizations in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina for their efforts before Hurricane Michael and for the replacement or repair of infrastructure.
• $678 million in low interest disaster loans have been approved by the Small Business Administration.
• Efforts in Florida and Georgia have cleared around 36 million cubic yards of debris from areas that were damaged by Hurricane Michael’s high winds and resulting floods.
• In affected areas, 58 Disaster Recovery Centers were opened to help survivors seeking one on one help in the aftermath of the destructive hurricane.

FEMA also reports that ten recovery communities in Florida and Georgia are working hard to develop sustainable plans for areas that have been affected. The goal of these plans is reportedly to encourage best practices and prepare communities before another disaster hits. Although filling hurricane damage claims and rescuing communities is important, long term efforts are also necessary to ensure that areas at high risk for hurricane damage and prepared should another storm roll in.

FEMA was created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter’s executive order. With the vision statement “A Nation Prepared”, the agency aims to help the country 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.” The agency has been reorganized and reformed several times over the past few decades, but remains committed to its original mission, according to the agency website.