Five Years of Progress after Historic Tornadoes

Atlanta — Five years after tornadoes devastated the southeast and resulted in four federal disaster declarations in five days, hard-hit communities are building back stronger. To date, assistance to residents and communities in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee from the Federal Emergency Management Agency totals more than $504 million.

“The success of community recovery comes through strong partnerships at the local, state and federal levels. Together we have focused on rebuilding communities that are stronger and more sustainable for the future,” said Gracia Szczech, FEMA’s Region IV Regional Administrator.

Alabama by-the-numbers:

To date, assistance to Alabama’s residents and communities from the Federal Emergency Management Agency totals more than $361 million.

In Alabama, 88,229 individuals and families received $77,332,325 in Individual Assistance grants. More than $70 million was provided within a year of the storms, giving residents a helping hand in rebuilding their lives and restoring livelihoods.

The state and FEMA provided $343,990 in Disaster Unemployment Assistance to 333 survivors who lost jobs as a result of the tornadoes.

FEMA provided $4,810,399 to fund crisis counseling programs to help adults and children deal with the trauma and stress of surviving and recovering from the tornadoes.

Through collaborative efforts, FEMA and the state of Alabama provided temporary housing units to 307 families.

More than $202 million has been obligated as federal share reimbursements through FEMA’s Public Assistance program to state and local governments, and eligible private nonprofit organizations; and more than $1.36 million was obligated as part of these Public Assistance projects to build stronger, safer, more resilient communities and mitigate against future damage. To date, nearly 96 percent of the projected repair and replacement costs under the Public Assistance program have been disbursed to the State.

Some 4,492 residential and community tornado safe rooms have been approved to be built with $76.8 million obligated through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant program. Mitigation forms the foundation of a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.

The U.S. Small Business Administration provided $114,494,500 in low-interest disaster recovery loans to help businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters in Alabama rebuild.

Tennessee by-the-numbers

Tennessee residents and communities have received more than $70.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Nearly $8.6 million in Individual Assistance grants were provided to 8,845 individuals and families. More than $8.28 million of the total was provided within a year of the storms.

FEMA provided more than $690,000 to fund crisis counseling programs to help adults and children deal with the trauma and stress of surviving and recovering from the tornadoes.

More than $52 million has been obligated as federal share reimbursements through FEMA’s Public Assistance program to the state and local governments, and eligible private nonprofit organizations. To date, more than 96 percent of the projected repair and replacement costs under the Public Assistance program have been disbursed to the state.

FEMA obligated nearly $8.7 million to Tennessee through its Hazard Mitigation Grant program. Projects include eight safe rooms.

The U.S. Small Business Administration provided more than $10 million in low-interest disaster recovery loans to help businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters rebuild.

Mississippi by-the-numbers

Mississippi’s residents and communities have received more than $38.9 million from the FEMA.

More than $10.7 million in Individual Assistance grants were provided to 7,259 individuals and families. More than $9.9 million of the total was provided within a year of the storms.

More than $24.3 million has been obligated as FEMA’s share reimbursements through the Public Assistance program to the state and local governments, and eligible private nonprofit organizations. To date, more than 96 percent of the projected repair and replacement costs under the Public Assistance program have been disbursed to the state.

FEMA, MEMA and local jurisdictions also considered the safety of residents in the future. With more than $3 million in FEMA assistance through its Hazard Mitigation Grant program, communities across the state are using the funds to implement safe and smart building practices.

The U.S. Small Business Administration provided more than $10 million in low-interest disaster recovery loans to help businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters rebuild.

Georgia by-the-numbers

FEMA provided Georgia’s residents and communities more than $12 million in recovery assistance.

Individual Assistance grants of nearly $5.6 million were provided to 5,461 individuals and families. More than $5 million of the total was provided within a year of the storms.

FEMA provided $350,807 to fund crisis counseling programs to help adults and children deal with the trauma and stress of surviving and recovering from the tornadoes.

More than $21 million has been obligated as federal share reimbursements through FEMA’s Public Assistance program to the state and local governments, and eligible private nonprofit organizations. To date, more than 91 percent of the projected repair and replacement costs under the Public Assistance program have been disbursed to the State.

FEMA has obligated more than $4 million through its Hazard Mitigation Grant program for communities across the state to become more resilient from disasters.  

The U.S. Small Business Administration provided $8,492,000 million in low-interest disaster recovery loans to help businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters rebuild.

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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.