Obama announces federal emergency aid for Georgia counties (Update)

But Fulton and DeKalb don’t make the cut

President Barack Obama today said federal assistance has been made available for Cobb, Paulding, Douglas and Cherokee County residents who suffered losses from the unprecedented floods that devastated metro Atlanta earlier this week.

Left out of Obama’s declaration were 13 other metro countries, including DeKalb and Fulton County. Gov. Sonny Perdue says the state’s request for the remaining counties is still pending.

From Perdue’s office:

The federal declaration covers individual assistance and can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration will also be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

Residents and business owners in the four counties declared by the President as a major disaster area who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency continues to coordinate state recovery efforts. Contact information for GEMA can be found on its website.

(File photo by Joeff Davis)