President Donald Trump has approved disaster assistance to Mississippi counties affected by tornadoes that struck the state in mid-March.
The monthslong wait had cast doubt over whether Mississippi would be approved, as Trump has publicly argued for less federal support for disasters while calling for states to pick up more of the cost.
The governor’s statement on the declaration is below:
“Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for approving my request for Individual and Public Assistance for counties affected by the March 14–15 storms! Our entire state is grateful!
“Seventeen counties were approved for Public Assistance and eleven for Individual Assistance.
“Public Assistance was approved for Calhoun, Carroll, Covington, Grenada, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Lee, Leflore, Marion, Pike, Prentiss, Sharkey, Smith, Walthall, and Washington counties. Public assistance is available to local governments and eligible private non-profit agencies to assist in emergency work costs and repairing or replacing disaster-damaged facilities.
“Individual Assistance was approved for Covington, Grenada, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Leflore, Marion, Montgomery, Pike, Smith, and Walthall counties. Individual assistance is available to residents in those eleven counties and can include grants for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of this disaster.”
