Nine Georgia counties eligible for federal aid

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Nine Georgia counties are now eligible for federal assistance for repair of flood-damaged infrastructure such as roads and bridges, state officials announced Saturday.

Those counties are Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cobb, Douglas, Gwinnett, Paulding, Stephens and Walker.

Typically, a state match of federal money is required, which would be a challenge for a Georgia state government struggling with recurring budget shortfalls.

State Sen. John Wiles (R-Kennesaw) said officials will find a way. “We always rise together to take care of it,” Wiles said Friday. Wiles said that infrastructure qualifies as capital expenses, which means the state could borrow the money through bonds, if necessary, to pay for the match.

Residents in 17 Georgia counties are now eligible to apply for federal monies on a case-by-case basis. Three more counties were declared federal disaster areas Saturday: Bartow, Coweta and Heard counties.

Counties already declared disasters include: Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker counties.