CONGRESSMAN BISHOP ANNOUNCES $1,185,867 FEMA AWARD TO MAKE COMMUNITIES MORE RESILIENT TO STORMS AND DISASTERS
March 7, 2023
MACON, GA – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) announced that the Georgia Rural Water Association (GRWA), through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA), is the recipient of a $1,185,867 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). This grant will fund the purchase of 31 portable generators, 7 portable bypass pumps and one paralleling box for water and wastewater facilities throughout Georgia.
"When storms and other disasters strike, local communities oftentimes need technical support and emergency equipment to avoid power and utility disruptions for our residents," said Congressman Bishop. "GEMA and the Georgia Rural Water Association have been there for Middle and Southwest Georgia in times of crisis, from responding to Hurricane Michael to helping communities cope with strained water systems. These federal funds will help ensure they have the resources they need and are standing by, ready at a moment's notice, to help communities across Georgia when needed."
"GRWA appreciates the continued support from Congressman Bishop in making sure GRWA has the necessary resources to provide continuous Technical Assistance to the community water and wastewater systems in GA02," said Jimmy Matthews, Executive Director of the Georgia Rural Water Association. "These communities were significantly impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018. These small rural water systems are primarily in underserved and disadvantaged communities and lack the necessary resources to respond to natural disasters and negative impacts to their water and wastewater systems.
"GRWA is able to meet the needs of these systems and provide the additional resources and workforce through the funding of resources such as this," added Matthews. "GRWA will be able to utilize these resources and have them staged at different utilities across GA02 to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of these communities and make them more resilient to events like Hurricane Michael. This will ensure clean, safe drinking water is able to be provided to the citizens in these communities that depend on it."
The Georgia Rural Water Association (GRWA) is a non-profit organization representing rural systems throughout the State of Georgia in regard to drinking water and wastewater needs.
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