The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved more than $1.2 billion in Public Assistance funding on May 13, 2026, directing money to Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The package covers two distinct categories: $1.1 billion to reimburse COVID-19 pandemic costs and $126.5 million for physical disaster recovery tied to past storms and flooding. The total is part of a broader $5.6 billion federal assistance announcement spanning states, tribal nations, and territories nationwide.
FEMA reviews all recovery grants against program eligibility rules, expense documentation, and activity criteria before releasing funds. Under President Trump's executive order establishing a task force to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse, the agency also conducted reviews specifically targeting duplication of benefits with patient care revenue for COVID-19 reimbursement requests. FEMA said it is confident the costs being approved are eligible.
$1.1 Billion in COVID-19 Reimbursements Reaches State Emergency Agencies and Counties
Florida received the largest single allocation in the package. FEMA approved $213 million to Miami-Dade County for materials, rented equipment, and contracts used to reduce or eliminate the spread of COVID-19. Tennessee followed with $109 million to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) for similar pandemic-related expenses, and Kentucky received $41.8 million through the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KDEM).
FEMA noted that COVID-19 recovery has continued far beyond the agency's original timeline. Every state, territory, and the District of Columbia received a major disaster declaration in 2020 under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and the process of reviewing and closing those projects is still ongoing six years later.
$126.5 Million Targets Hurricane Helene Debris Removal and Road Repairs in Five States
The disaster recovery portion of the package is largely tied to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in September 2024 as a Category 4 storm and caused severe flooding across Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. South Carolina's Department of Transportation received $45.1 million for the removal of more than 5 million cubic yards of debris from roads and public property following Helene.
North Carolina's Department of Transportation received $18.5 million to repair state routes damaged by Helene in Buncombe, McDowell, Mitchell, Transylvania, and Yancey counties, where infrastructure damage was among the most severe in the region. In Mississippi, Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital in Rolling Fork received $2.9 million for emergency protective measures taken after the March 2023 severe storms and tornadoes that struck the area. FEMA said it will continue reviewing additional projects and releasing funds on a rolling basis as eligibility and scopes of work are finalized.
