Presidential Disaster Declaration for Fulton County Issued

Governor Sonny Perdue today announced that President Bush has issued a Federal Disaster Declaration for individual assistance to aide residents of the City of Atlanta and Fulton County with recovery efforts in the wake of storms that hit the city on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, 2008. The portion of Governor Perdue’s request covering government buildings and public costs due to the storms is still pending.

“We have a great deal of work to do and we appreciate the prompt response by President Bush and FEMA,” said Governor Perdue. “It will greatly help the citizens whose lives and communities have been disrupted.”

The federal declaration covers individual assistance and can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration will also be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is coordinating the state's response effort. “We are coordinating the recovery effort with our local, state, federal and volunteer partners,” said GEMA Director Charley English. “Damage assessment teams are continuing to work with local authorities in all affected areas of the state to assess losses.”

Governor Perdue declared a state of emergency in Fulton County after the storm struck. The state of emergency cleared the way for the massive deployment of state personnel and equipment and paved the way for the Presidential Declaration. Perdue made the request for a federal declaration after touring the area and reviewing preliminary damage assessment figures.

Residents and business owners in Fulton County who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.fema.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday.

GEMA is the lead state agency for coordination of emergency and disaster response activities. For more emergency information and updates, visit www.gema.ga.gov.
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