Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) is pleased to announce that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has allocated $2.747 million in debris removal funding to the City of Albany and $1.192 million in debris removal funding to Macon-Bibb County to help with the recovery from the storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes that struck Georgia in 2017.
 
“Our communities are still recovering from the tremendous destruction that was caused by the storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes that struck the region in 2017,” said Congressman Bishop. “Debris removal and rebuilding efforts remain ongoing. Fortunately, the FEMA grants announced today will provide much needed relief to the City of Albany and Macon-Bibb County. I thank FEMA for its diligent work on behalf of communities here and across the nation that have been struck by natural disaster.”
 
These funds are provided under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which provides federal assistance to government organizations and certain private nonprofit organizations following a Presidential disaster declaration.
 
Earlier in the year, Congressman Bishop, as a senior members of the House Appropriations Committee, included language in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Pub.L. 115-119) which ensured additional recovery funding was provided through Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program to help impacted areas. The FEMA funding will supplement this assistance and is specifically directed for debris removal.
 
Middle and Southwest Georgia were issued emergency disaster declarations following storms and tornadoes that struck the state of Georgia in January 2017, causing substantial damage throughout the region. Later in the year, the area was also struck by Hurricanes Maria and Irma, causing further damage in the area.