During Augusta visit, Kamala Harris announces federal relief for Georgia hurricane damage
Local costs to fix damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene will be completely reimbursed by the federal government, Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday during a tour of Augusta disaster sites with local officials.
Harris arrived in Augusta on Wednesday afternoon to survey Helene's aftermath. Joined by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, she visited Georgia both to receive and provide updates on statewide and regional recovery efforts, and to visit Augusta sites hit hardest by the hurricane.
After witnessing extensive property damage along Milledgeville and Golden Camp roads in south Augusta, Harris announced that President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's request for "100% federal reimbursement of local costs."
"The burden to local governments including the state government is pretty immense," she said, and making available "the dedicated resources to cover 100% of local costs will have a huge impact on our ability to get relief to people as quickly as possible."
Also accompanied by Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, Harris met with disaster workers at the Augusta Utilities Department on Walker Street. She commended the area's first responders and emergency volunteers as heroes "who do extraordinary work that is about lifting up other people," Harris said.
The vice president also visited the Henry Brigham Community Center, where she greeted well-wishers while helping American Red Cross aid workers distribute food and other supplies to residents in need.
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For now, disaster volunteers need the patience of displaced residents and the time to repair the devastated landscape.
"There's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks and months," she said. "And the coordination that we have dedicated ourselves to will be long-lasting to get families, to get residents, to get neighborhoods back up and running."
In coming days, Harris also is expected to travel to North Carolina to assess storm damage in an around Asheville.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Kamala Harris surveys Augusta hurricane damage, reimbursement plans