U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced a disaster relief package to provide critical funding for Georgia and other states recovering from recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Michael.

“Enough is enough. Georgia and other states across the country are hurting from historic hurricanes and devastating wildfires, and the federal government continues to drag its feet,” said Senator Perdue, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “In October, President Trump and Vice President Pence both saw the devastation firsthand and promised to help Georgia and other states rebuild. It’s long past time to make good on these promises. For farmers in Georgia, it’s not a matter of putting a crop in the ground this year – it’s a matter of putting a crop in the ground ever again. I will continue to fight for disaster relief until our farmers and rural communities have the resources they need to recover.”

“The biggest immediate crisis facing Georgia today is the relief money needed for the lost agricultural products from the hurricanes that have hit here and in other states,” said Senator Isakson. “We are in crisis mode for our farmers and agricultural community, and we will not stop until we get needed aid for those who have suffered devastation. Additional losses grow every day we wait, and it’s far past time we fulfill the promises that were made. Supplemental disaster funding was overwhelmingly supported in funding proposals voted on earlier this year, so there shouldn’t be a reason for further delay on a supplemental disaster relief package to provide critical aid for Georgians.” 

The $13 billion measure includes recovery money for other recent natural disasters, including the wildfires in California and the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, said a news report.

In addition to the Puerto Rico nutritional assistance, the measure also includes recovery money for the volcanic eruption in Hawaii, typhoons in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and assistance to veterans’ health facilities, transit and infrastructure projects and timber crops harmed by recent storms.