The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that it has approved over $2 million to the state of Florida to reimburse Bay County for Hurricane Michael recovery expenses.

FEMA stated in a press release that Bay County will be awarded $2.4 million to cover road repair costs. During debris removal operations, Bay County’s County Line Road and part of Steelfield Road were damaged by heavy truck traffic, including alligator cracks, potholes and edge damage. Funds will reimburse the county for the removal and replacement back to pre-disaster design, function and capacity.

According to officials, FEMA reimbursed a project to remove and replace 1.96 miles long by 20 feet wide of open-graded asphalt mix, limerock base and graded aggregate sub-base and an additional 1.58 miles long by 20 feet wide of limerock/dirt.

Additionally, a project to remove and replace 4.04 miles long by 24 feet wide of asphalt surface on Steelfield Road was also reimbursed.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) works with FEMA during all phases of the program and reviews projects prior to FEMA final approval.

Applicants work directly with FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work. FEMA obligates funding for projects to FDEM after final approval.

Once a project is obligated, FDEM works closely with applicants to finalize grants and begin making payments. FDEM has procedures in place designed to ensure grant funding is provided to local communities as quickly as possible.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.