Gwinnett County will ask for as much as $2.5 million in federal and state grants to help cover the cost of cleaning up after Tropical Storm Irma.

Irma struck parts of Florida and Georgia over several days in September. In Gwinnett, it knocked down hundreds of trees and utility lines and left tens of thousands without power.

More from subscriber site myAJC.comA year later, Gwinnett's 'racist pig' saga still reverberates

Gwinnett’s chief financial officer, Maria Woods, estimated Tuesday that just shy of $2.2 million of the money the county spent recovering from the storm was eligible for reimbursement. The county’s Board of Commissioners then voted to request up to $2.5 million in public assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

The wiggle room is “just in case there are other costs that we identify ... during the process,” Woods said.

The county is eligible to seek reimbursement for money spent on things like debris removal, “emergency protective measures” and utilities, officials said.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Living in Louisville in rural Jefferson County, Jessica Lewis (back) regularly traveled nearly an hour each way for OB-GYN visits while she was pregnant with her now-11-month-old-son, Desmond. The 35-year-old tax preparer is among many in Georgia forced to make long drives for access to gynecological care. Others are not able to do so, part of why prenatal visit data has gotten worse in recent years. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Featured

(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Getty, Unsplash)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC