Editors Note:  Disaster Recovery Centers in Georgia will be open on Veterans Day .  All Disaster Recovery Centers in Georgia will be open during their standard hours, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Veterans Day, Monday. Residents can find the center nearest to them and the hours of operation by going to fema.gov/drc. Survivors may visit any open recovery center to apply for assistance, submit required documentation, or ask questions in person with FEMA representatives. 

ATLANTA – At the request of the state of Georgia, homeowners and renters in counties approved for individual assistance due to Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Debby now have until Jan. 7, 2025, to apply for FEMA assistance. 

Homeowners and renters with damage and losses related to Tropical Storm Debby whose primary home is in Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long and Screven counties may be eligible for FEMA financial assistance for serious needs, displacement, basic home repairs, personal property losses and other uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses. 

Likewise, homeowners and renters with damage and losses related to Hurricane Helene whose primary home is in Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne Wheeler, and Wilkes counties may be eligible for FEMA financial assistance for serious needs, displacement, basic home repairs, personal property losses and other uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses. 

People with damage related to Hurricane Helene and/or Tropical Storm Debby must apply separately for assistance for each disaster, but only once for each disaster. People with homeowners, renters or flood insurance should file a claim as soon as possible. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If an insurance policy does not cover all disaster expenses, people may be eligible for federal assistance.