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Burke County adds $8.62 million to Hurricane Helene debris fund, seeks FEMA reimbursement
Summary
Commissioners approved an $8.62 million budget amendment to the Hurricane Helene debris-removal fund and discussed ongoing FEMA and GEMA reimbursement timelines and expense estimates.
Burke County commissioners unanimously approved a budget amendment to add $8,620,000 to the countys Hurricane Helene debris-removal fund, the board recorded during its recent meeting.
County staff reported the county has incurred just under $7,000,000 in debris-removal expenses to date and is picking up debris at roughly double the December rate. The board asked to add the additional $8.62 million to the hurricane-recovery fund to cover anticipated costs until FEMA reimbursements are received.
County officials said they have applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) for reimbursement of expenses through Dec. 23 and a partial advance on anticipated costs. Officials said FEMAs start-date determination for the event was recently finalized (the event start was recorded as Oct. 1415), which affects reimbursement windows.
Staff cautioned that reimbursement timing is uncertain. "We were originally told Valentine's but now we're probably looking latter part of February," one county speaker said when summarizing discussions with FEMA and GEMA. County staff said GEMA must approve the state's submission before FEMA releases funds.
The budget amendment passed on a voice vote after a motion to amend the hurricane Helene debris removal budget.
Ending
County officials said the reimbursement timeline from state and federal agencies remains uncertain and that the board would continue to track debris-removal expenses and FEMA/GEMA updates.
