ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday afternoon that four additional Georgia counties affected by Hurricane Helene are now eligible to apply for disaster assistance — including Tift County.

The disaster declaration now covers Elbert and Rabun for Individual Assistance, and Effingham and Tift for Individual and Public Assistance, according to a press release from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security (GEMA/HS).

Individual Assistance can fund individual and family recovery efforts, which may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of Hurricane Helene.

Public Assistance is available to state and local government entities and qualified not-for-profit organizations. It will provide financial aid for debris removal and emergency work.

Individuals in these designated counties can apply for assistance in any of the following ways:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

• Calling 1-800-621-3362.

• People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.

The deadline for applications is Dec. 2, 2024. For more information on the Major Disaster Declaration or Public Assistance, please email PublicAssistance@gema.ga.gov, and for Individual Assistance, email IndividualAssistance@gema.ga.gov.