In response to Governor Kay Ivey’s Thursday request, President Donald Trump on Saturday approved an Emergency Disaster Declaration for the state of Alabama as a result of Hurricane Michael.

This declaration means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Program will provide assistance under category B to affected Alabama counties.

“I greatly appreciate President Trump approving our request for federal assistance. Alabama has suffered damage, but we have also stepped in to help our neighbors,” Ivey said in a press release. “This assistance will help us recover some of the cost of response and recovery efforts conducted by the state and local governments. This will be a huge benefit to the smaller communities in Alabama that have been affected.”

Alabama has been granted a Federal Emergency Declaration for the state and Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties. The declaration will help local and state governments cover costs associated with preparing and responding to the category four hurricane. Under the Public Assistance Program, aid will be provided at 75 percent federal funding for approved costs related to Michael.

Some counties who were not hit as severely will still have preparatory costs covered, per the White House. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent funding in the counties of Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Mobile, Montgomery, Pike and Russell and the Poarch Creek Band of Indians.

“Working together with our federal partners is an important part of helping Alabamians move back to some sense of normalcy when impacted by a storm like Hurricane Michael,” Alabama EMA Director Brian Hastings outlined. “We are extremely thankful that although Hurricane Michael was a historic storm our state did not encounter any loss of life.”

The state’s EMA is working with all impacted areas to assess damages in order to possibly qualify for additional assistance to aid in the repairs to infrastructure and the collection and disposal of debris.

On Thursday, Ivey met with statewide EMA and county-level emergency management officials and toured storm damage in Houston and Geneva Counties. She then held a press conference held at the Houston County EMA office., along with Hastings, in which the governor commended the courageous, exemplary efforts by emergency management workers, first responders and linemen to help Alabamians recover in the wake of disaster.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn