By Milton Kirby | Washington, D.C. | January 28, 2026
U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock announced Tuesday that he has secured an additional $192 million in federal disaster relief funding owed to Georgia communities recovering from Hurricane Helene, marking the latest installment in a months-long effort to force the release of delayed reimbursements.
The funds were released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after sustained pressure from Warnock’s office, as counties across Georgia particularly in rural areas faced mounting financial strain and the prospect of lawsuits from contractors seeking payment for completed recovery work.
The announcement follows a December 2025 release of $300 million in outstanding Helene payments that Warnock also helped unlock, bringing the total recovered funds to more than $500 million in recent months.
“I am thrilled to announce I have secured an additional $192 million in federal funding owed to Georgia communities recovering from Hurricane Helene,” Warnock said. “Hurricanes and natural disasters are not political; they do not care if you voted red or blue. Georgia counties and cities went right to work recovering from Helene’s destruction with the understanding the federal government would fulfill its promises.”
Warnock emphasized that the fight is not over. In September 2025, he released a report finding that nearly $500 million in promised federal disaster funding remained unpaid. Follow-up reviews later increased that figure to as much as $600 million, raising alarms about the financial exposure of local governments forced to front recovery costs.
The funding stems from a 2024 disaster recovery bill championed by Warnock, designed to reimburse counties and state agencies for emergency work performed after Helene. Despite bipartisan congressional support, Warnock’s office says the delivery of funds was slowed by administrative breakdowns and bureaucratic delays within the Trump Administration.
Among the largest recipients in the latest reimbursement round is the Georgia Department of Transportation, which received $78.3 million. Counties receiving funding include Columbia County ($16.6 million), Emanuel County ($11.3 million), Jefferson County ($10.4 million), Burke County ($6.6 million), and Coffee County ($4.7 million), among others.
Warnock said he will continue pressing federal agencies until Georgia receives every dollar it was promised. “It should not have gotten to this point,” he said. “I will continue fighting until Georgia’s communities especially rural Georgia get every cent they are owed.”
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