Federal officials have made more than $6 million available for Mississippians impacted by severe weather, including tornadoes, that a portion of the state experienced in mid-June.
The funding has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, and businesses.
As of Monday, more than $3 million in emergency management grants have been approved for renters and homeowners in Jackson and Jasper counties. These include:
- More than $2.5 million in housing assistance which helps pay for uninsured home repairs, home replacement, and rental assistance for short-term lodging.
- More than $433,000 in other needs assistance grants to help pay for uninsured personal property replacement and other serious storm-related needs.
- FEMA’s call-out/enhanced applicant services team identified and contacted survivors who were challenged by the application and appeals process. Team members completed more than 900 interviews with applicants, resulting in grants that they might not have gotten otherwise.
- Disaster loans from the SBA
As of Sunday, the SBA had approved more than $3.8 million in long-term, low-interest disaster loans for homeowners and businesses. The flexible loans can help supplement insurance settlements and FEMA grants. These include:
- More than $3.4 million in home loans.
- More than $367,000 in business loans.
- Public assistance
- $690,000 for six projects, with more than $1.7 million for nine projects pending approval.
FEMA is also working in the affected communities to provide public assistance grants to local governments. 29 counties and one tribal nation have been approved for aid at this point:
- Adams
- Amite
- Attala
- Claiborne
- Copiah
- Covington
- Franklin
- Greene
- Holmes
- Humphreys
- Itawamba
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Jefferson Davis
- Jones
- Lawrence
- Leake
- Madison
- Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation
- Neshoba
- Newton
- Perry
- Rankin
- Scott
- Simpson
- Smith
- Warren
- Wayne
- Yazoo
