Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell traveled to Atlanta and Augusta on Wednesday to examine continued damage from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
It’s Criswell’s second visit to Georgia since the storm hit late last month. She first visited Valdosta to witness the damage firsthand.
“The trees were still in the streets blocking traffic, powerlines were still down blocking the roads. Trees were still on homes,” she told WABE.
Criswell said Helene impacted “over half the state,” causing property and road damages that are still present one month later.
The administrator wants to provide insight for Georgia residents on registering with FEMA for resource and financial assistance.
“We want to be able to talk with them about what their circumstances [are], what their needs are and make sure that we are connecting them with the right organization if it’s not something that FEMA covers,” Criswell said.
Based on damages and loss, Georgia residents are encouraged to go through their insurance companies to see what will and won’t be covered through their individual plans. Then, once registered with FEMA, the organization works towards covering repairs and other resources.
Criswell said over 300,000 Georgia residents have applied for assistance since Helene hit, with $150 million in relief funding already distributed. She believes that number will only continue to grow.
“[Financial assistance] absolutely varies by individual and what their damages are,” she noted. “We’re going to work with each person to understand where they’re at and making sure we are giving them everything they are eligible for.”
To receive more information on individual cases or eligibility, Criswell says people can go to FEMA’s website or to one of the state’s nine Disaster Recovery Centers located in Augusta, Baxley, Douglas, Lyons, Midway, Sandersville, Savannah, Thompson and Valdosta.
She said her goal is to ensure that all of the victims can be provided with the resources they need to return to a sense of normalcy and security.
“And we’re going to be here as long as it takes to help these communities recover.”
