FEMA Reimburses Bay County $7.2 Million for Hurricane Michael Expenses

Tallahassee, Florida — FEMA has approved $7,257,858 to the state of Florida to assist Bay County with reimbursement for the costs of emergency protective measures following Hurricane Michael under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

FEMA funds will reimburse the county for actions it took following the October 2018 storm to provide search and rescue, security, flood fighting, evacuations, sheltering and safety inspections. Other actions included pumping, placing barricades, tarping of roofs and mold remediation.

This is an Expedited Project, which is awarded at 50 percent of eligible costs incurred. The remaining 50 percent of the grant is awarded once applicants provide all supporting documentation for the project. The total project cost is $14,515,716.

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 (FDEM) works with FEMA during all phases of the PA program and reviews these projects prior to FEMA final approval.

Applicants work directly with FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work. FEMA obligates funding for the project after its final approval.

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

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.