White House approves Georgia disaster declaration requested by congressional delegation

The Biden administration has approved a national disaster declaration in Georgia following Hurricane Helene, a move that comes a day after the state’s congressional delegation requested it.

The declaration, announced Tuesday, will make federal disaster funds available in 11 Georgia counties, including temporary housing and home-repair grants and low-cost loans to cover losses of uninsured property.

Much of the most visible devastation from the storm, which made landfall in rural Florida, has been in western North Carolina, where many of the roads have been washed out and hindered the delivery of supplies.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Monday that at least 25 people, including a first responder, have died in the storm and its aftermath. The total death toll across six states is at least 130. Kemp has already declared a state of emergency for the state’s 159 counties.

On Monday, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) led a letter co-signed by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and the state’s 14 representatives asking Biden for the declaration.

“We write to convey full support for Governor Brian Kemp’s (R) request for an expedited major disaster declaration for the counties in the State of Georgia significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene,” the members wrote in the letter. “We encourage your team to promptly consider Governor Kemp’s request for a major disaster declaration, and we stand ready to work with you and your Administration to support these critical recover efforts in Georgia.”

Kemp said Monday that Biden had spoken with him over the weekend. “And I told him, we got what we need, we’ll work through the federal process. He offered that if there’s other things we need, just to call him directly, which I appreciate,” Kemp said.

The president suggested Monday he was also considering calling Congress back into session to pass federal disaster funding after it was left out of a continuing resolution to fund the government last week, a call that has been echoed in the Senate by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).