ReliefWeb

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Two weeks after a federal major disaster declaration for parts of Georgia swamped by heavy rains and flooding, the emergency response is winding down and the focus of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has turned to long-term recovery.

"The response of local, state and federal partners has been quick and sure," said GEMA Director Charley English. "The first of 14 Disaster Recovery Centers opened the day after the disaster declaration and all of them were up and running within a week."

About 500 people have been moved from emergency shelters to longer-term housing, in part because of housing assistance payments.

"FEMA issued the first disaster assistance payments the day after the declaration," English said. "In addition, during in the first two weeks, nearly 12,000 payments totaling nearly $40 million were made by FEMA."

While a lot of work has already been done by governments and volunteer organizations, there is much more to do, said Federal Coordinating Officer Gracia Szczech; "All of us - individuals, local leaders, GEMA and FEMA staff - are now turning to the long and, frankly, difficult job of repairing roads, replacing bridges and rebuilding neighborhoods. And that is a job that is going to take patience, as well as time and money."

Szczech reminded individuals they can still register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are staffed seven days a week, 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. until further notice. Help in all languages is available.

She also urged homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to return completed Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan applications. The low-interest loans are a major source of money for repairs and replacement of flood-damaged real estate and personal property.

The 17 counties under the disaster declaration for Individual Assistance are Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker.

Twenty-one counties are eligible for FEMA Public Assistance, which reimburses state agencies and local governments for eligible disaster-related emergency measures and repair and replacement of damaged roads, bridges, public buildings and other infrastructure. The reimbursement is on a cost-share basis - 75 percent federal, 25 percent state-local.

Recovery assistance by the numbers (through October 7):

$40,416,130 has been approved to help disaster-affected Georgians with temporary housing, home repairs and other needs through GEMA and FEMA disaster grant programs.

19,649 households and businesses in the 17 designated counties have registered with FEMA.

5,155 people visited one of 14 state and federal Disaster Recovery Centers to talk one on one with recovery specialists.

$2,212,400 in loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes have been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Five Disaster Recovery Centers are closing Saturday, 10 others are open seven days a week in north and central Georgia.

57 FEMA Community Relations field specialists are visiting neighborhoods, talking with Georgians at their homes and at community meetings in affected counties. Teams have visited more than 2,000 homes and talked with more than 500 businesses, churches, schools and community organizations.

13,417 pamphlets, booklets and other publications that provide information on how to reduce the risk of future flood losses have been distributed by FEMA Mitigation Outreach specialists.

More than 3,000 Georgians have talked with FEMA Mitigation specialists who provide a range of information on techniques that can be used in repairing, rebuilding and building homes and structures. More than 1,300 of those consultations took place at selected home improvement retailers; the remainder took place at Disaster Recovery Centers.

Disaster Recovery Centers

Fifteen Disaster Recovery Centers are now open in north and central Georgia, but five will be closing Saturday.

The following Disaster Recovery Centers will close at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10:

- Carroll County. Old Greenway Medical Building, 590 Hays Mill Road, Carrollton, GA 30117

- Catoosa County. Learning Center, 36 Muskogee Trail, Ringgold, GA 30736

- Chattooga County. Trion School, 919 Allgood St., Trion, GA 30753

- Rockdale County. Government Annex, 1400 Parker Road, Conyers, GA 30012

- Stephens County. Stephens County Senior Center, 199 Hayley Drive, Toccoa, GA 30577

Hours for the remaining centers are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays until further notice. Centers open beyond Saturday are:

- Cobb County. The Threadmill, Suite 151, 5000 Austell/Powder Springs Road, Austell, GA 30106

- Cherokee County. Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Department Gym, 200 Building, 7545 Main St. Woodstock, GA 30188

- DeKalb County. Browns Mill Recreation Center, 5101 Browns Mill Road, Lithonia, GA

- Douglas County. Lithia Springs First United Methodist Church, 3711 Temple St., Lithia Springs, GA 30122

- Douglas County. Heritage Baptist Church, 8800 Rose Ave., Douglasville, GA 30134

- Fulton County. Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

- Fulton County. Sandy Springs City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500, City of Sandy Springs, GA 30350

- Gwinnett County. Mountain Park Depot, 5050 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lilburn, GA 30047

- Paulding County. Paulding County Community Center, 54 Industrial Way, Dallas, GA 30132

- Walker County. Walker County Agricultural Center, 10054 North Highway 27, Rock Spring, GA 30739

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.