President Biden OKs disaster declaration for May 10 tornadoes, clearing way for FEMA aid

President Biden has declared the capital region's May 10 storms and tornadoes to be a major disaster, which means federal funding will soon be available to those affected.

The news came in a Tuesday morning press release from the White House. Individual assistance will be available in Leon, and "assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities" will be available in surrounding counties.

"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the release said.

"Federal funding is also available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes in the counties of Baker, Gadsden, Hamilton, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla."

It added that "additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments," and announced John E. Brogan of the Federal Emergency Management Agency would "coordinate federal recovery operations in the affected areas."

As previously reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, the process for reimbursement is a multi-step process:

From the moment a natural disaster strikes, FEMA and local officials conduct preliminary damage assessment, effects on individuals and public facilities and the types of federal assistance needed.

From there, the information is passed off to the state's governor, who makes a disaster declaration request to the president.

But FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund could run out of money by August, according to their monthly fund reports.

Though it could activate its Immediate Needs Funding program starting in July, which means they will only fund major disaster efforts, which would "deprioritize" other obligations. And that means Tallahassee aid could get put on the back burner.

It won't be the first time the city has had to wait for FEMA funding. According to the workshop agenda, the city is still out nearly $4.5 million in FEMA funds for reimbursements for Hurricanes Hermine, Irma and Michael.

For more information

∎ Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362). They also can use the FEMA App.

∎ Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service.

Source: The White House

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FEMA help cleared with Biden disaster declaration for May 10 tornadoes