FEMA Awards School Board of Bay County $22.5 Million for Hurricane Michael Expenses

Tallahassee, Florida  — FEMA has approved $22,564,102 to the state of Florida to assist the School Board of Bay County with reimbursement for the costs of emergency protective measures and debris removal following Hurricane Michael under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

FEMA funds will reimburse the school board for actions it took following the October 2018 storm, including providing temporary emergency repairs and temporary daycare centers, as well as mold and water remediation and security.

The grant is funded by FEMA’s Public Assistance program, an essential source of funding for communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) works with FEMA during all phases of the program and conducts final reviews of FEMA-approved projects.

Applicants work directly with FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work. Following approvals by FEMA and DEM, FEMA obligates funding for the project.

Once a project is obligated by FEMA, DEM works closely with the applicant to finalize the grant and begin making payments. DEM has implemented new procedures designed to ensure grant funding is provided to local communities as quickly as possible.

This project is funded at 100 percent federal cost share.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal, and local governments, and certain types of private non-profit organizations, including houses of worship, so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.

Just last week, Bay District Schools Superintendent was on WKGC discussing and asking for funding and the state of BDS. Check this story out here.