President Donald Trump has approved federal aid for Mississippi following Tropical Storm Arthur, making disaster funds available to residents and municipalities affected by the severe weather.

The Aug. 4 Major Disaster Declaration makes residents of four counties—Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River and Stone—eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA will also help cover infrastructure damage and debris pickup under its Public Assistance program in the following counties: Covington, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River, Stone, and Wayne.

“I’m grateful to President Trump and his administration for assisting Mississippi as we recover from the storm,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in an Aug. 4 news release. “This declaration will further strengthen our recovery efforts and deliver additional support to Mississippians. We continue praying for every community impacted. The state of Mississippi will continue to assist for as long as it takes.”

The federal funding comes after the remnants of Arthur pummeled the Gulf Coast on June 18 and 19, bringing powerful winds and rain and causing dangerous flash flooding in multiple counties. The tropical storm damaged over 500 homes as well as roads, bridges and other infrastructure, forcing some counties to set up emergency shelters for residents with nowhere to go.

“(We had) about 20 people there for several days because they couldn’t get to their homes,” Jeff Clark, the public information officer for Harrison County, told the Mississippi Free Press on July 22. “We had a dam that was compromised. We had a lot of street flooding. It was not a good situation.”

Following Tuesday’s declaration, Harrison County residents can apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program, which offers grants for temporary housing and repairs along with low-interest loans for uninsured property losses. Residents of Harrison and other authorized counties can seek help at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). They can also use the FEMA App.

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Environmental Reporter Illan Ireland is Mississippi Free Press’s bilingual environmental reporter in partnership with Report for America. Prior to joining the Mississippi Free Press, he completed a fellowship with The Futuro Media Group in New York City, taking on projects related to public health, climate change and housing insecurity. His freelance work has appeared in City Limits and various Futuro Media properties. Illan holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.S. from the Columbia Journalism School, where he spent a year covering the drug overdose crisis unfolding in New York City. He’s a Chicago native, a proud Mexican American and a lover of movies, soccer and unreasonably spicy foods. You can reach him at illan@mississippifreepress.org.